Cupid's Tangled Arrows
by KaiaLuna
Summary: Hermione's heart gets tangled in a Weasley web, should she escape it all or will her heart make up its mind? Starts with Charlie, side steps to Bill, backs up to Fred and ends with... EWE AU
1. Chapter 1

It's not everyday a single witch wakes up in bed with a gorgeous wizard, naked in her bed, especially if that witch is Hermione Granger.

She slid off the mattress, clutching the sheet to her nude form and stared at the fit form of Charlie Weasley, sprawled on his stomach buck assed naked.

Her mouth felt dry and her heart pounded in her chest, she'd shagged Charlie Weasley, quite thoroughly. She'd been sober enough to know what she was doing but drunk enough not to care when she'd tugged him into her room late the night before. Uncommonly brazen she'd kissed him heatedly and taken charge, removing his clothes, kissing along the lines of his muscle and various scars, tracing his tattoos with her tongue and nipping gently at various sensitive spots. Having thoroughly soaked through her knickers at this point, she'd stripped down and ridden him, bouncing on him like a pogo stick to the edge of orgasm, at which point he'd obliged a need she didn't have to voice and flipped her onto her back driving wildly into her while she clawed down his back, screaming her release like a banshee. Said claw marks were slightly visible on his shoulder blades making Hermione blush in a mixture of embarrassment and renewed need. Instead she very quietly dressed and slipped out of the room before appartaing away.

She was late and she hated being late.

Bill was grinning at her and shaking his head as she ran down the corridor to where he was waiting with the head of the Dragon Reserve.

"Sorry I'm late." She breathed.

"Not at all Miss Granger, Mr. Weasley just arrived as well. We appreciate the two of you coming out here to have a look at what we've found."

"Of course." She sent him a polite smile.

"Charlie told me you found it while digging in a cave?"

"Yes." He nodded, "Charlie's been bringing the dragons in since last month, when we were certain the reserve was ready to open, however when we got word he'd found a rare Norway Black baby in a trap, we set to work on the caves to make it a proper home and that's when we stumbled upon the wards and the door."

"Where's the baby dragon now?"

"Just a wee thing still really and injured to boot so Charlie's set up a pen and is nursing her until you've cleared the caves and we can make her a proper home."

Hermione shifted and tried to hide her blush when his name came up but she knew Bill hadn't missed it.

"Hermione is my best associate regarding cursed wards so I'm sure between us we can get it sorted and bring any cursed items back to Gringotts."

"Good good. Thank you." He nodded to the cave, "Dragons I can do but you'll excuse me from not returning in their with you."

"Of course." Bill gave him a nod and he and Hermione began walking across the field. "Well?"

"What?"

Bill nudged her shoulder, "Three years we've been together Granger."

"And?" She blushed.

Bill snorted, "Don't play coy."

She rolled her eyes, "I slept with Charlie."

His steps faltered just for a heartbeat, "My brother Charlie?"

She gave him a nod, not looking at him, "Don't let my brother or mother find out."

"Ronald and I are just friends, we've only ever been just friends."

Bill rolled his eyes, "I know that, doesn't mean mum wishes it weren't different."

"Ron wouldn't care I slept with Charlie though."

Bill barked out a laugh, "Mia my brother and Harry Potter are so over protective of you I got a twenty minute lecture before our first mission to break that half-assed curse in the Welsh tomb about your safety. They hexed Krum because he stood you up for dinner, never mind that he was unconscious from getting a bludger to the head because someone should have let you know. They nearly made Eric Maitland wet himself when they interrogated him over his intentions with you and Ron broke up with Samantha Ellis because she said something unkind about you. Trust me, Ron finds out you shagged the shit out of our brother, the confirmed bachelor, he's going to flip his shit."

Hermione bit back a smile, he was right, Harry and Ron _were_ a tad over protective of her. "I doubt he'd care it was your brother any more than he would if it weren't though."

"Oh I know he'd freak out about any wizard but it will be worse because it's Charlie."

"Why?"

"One, he's our brother, he should know better than to mess with you and because Ron doesn't know what a little vixen you can be and will think Charlie took advantage of his sweet, innocent bookworm best friend. Two because my mother will be seeing wedding bells and if Ron flips his lid the entire world, including her, will find out about it. Third, and last, because he's jealous as hell of anyone in your life possibly becoming more or even as important to you as him and Harry but he can hardly scare off his older brother believe me he tried when we started to become so close over these last years and still sends me glares or gloating looks when you stop talking with me to go sit with them."

"He does not." She gasped.

Bill nodded, "His last girlfriend broke up with him over it. She thought he was in love with you. Gave the rest of us a good laugh knowing it wasn't true but" he shrugged, "He and Harry are terrible when it comes to you. Harry's just a bit more reserved and sensible about it all but he'll flip his lid over Charlie too."

"Oh." She breathed, blushing a little.

"I'm not saying don't do it again." Bill nudged her with his shoulder, "Just be careful about it. Neither of you is exactly looking to fall in love so I'm not worried about one or the other of you getting hurt but" he shrugged.

"I think it was a one time thing anyways." She shrugged with another blush not able to look at him just then. She really hadn't planned to sleep with Charlie, she'd wanted to be good but when she'd seen him? It was like she was possessed.

"Come on then." He nudged her forward into the cave.

Seven hours later Hermione sat, grimy and tired, at a table of Dragon Keepers and the various workers trying to set up the new Dragon Reserve. With them also was the Head of the Reserve, Angus MacDougie who was beaming at them.

"So it's all clear. One day and you two have broken through that damned cursed cave." He grinned at them.

Bill shrugged, "It wasn't so bad, tricky but no match for Mia."

Hermione blushed and rolled her eyes, "You did all the really dark magic reversal." She reminded.

"Only because you figured out what it was so quick." He winked at her. "Damn good team we make eh?"

"So the goblins say." She grinned at him then, "Guess it's why we're still partners after all the ruckus we've caused."

Bill laughed, "I think the Sheik is still shaking his head and muttering over that tiny dress."

Hermione rolled her eyes, "It was hot."

He laughed, "You definitely were."

They shared stories and laughed with the others, teasing each other and all just having a good time. Finally Hermione excused herself to shower and get some rest.

When she stepped out of the bathroom in her towel, she was surprised to find Charlie Weasley waiting.

"Charlie?" She questioned, shifting her weight a little.

He didn't look pleased as he stepped towards her, his heavy boots on the wood floor, the only sound to break the nerve wracking silence.

"Do you know how many women I've been to bed with?" he asked in a low growl that sent heat flooding through her. "Do you know how many of them snuck off on me in the morning?"

She rolled her eyes, "I'm sure they didn't have a chance before you left."

He snorted, "I have never led a woman to believe I was offering more than I was willing to give but I never disappeared in the middle the night."

"It was hardly the middle of the night Charlie, I was late for my eight am meeting."

"Might have been courteous to wake me up and say something, no?"

"Say what? Thanks for the shag?" She felt her temper rising.

Charlie glared at her, "Actually, I think that ought to have been my line this morning, but it sure as well will be yours tomorrow."

"What?" Her heart beat furiously and Charlie yanked her body into his, crashing his mouth to hers in a passionate kiss that had her moaning, giving him the perfect opportunity to push his tongue into her mouth.

He yanked away the towel and lifted her easily, laying her back on the bed. His hands roamed her body, the rough calluses on his hands sending shivers across her delicate skin. He licked and nipped down her body, stopping to suckle and then bite her nipples, making her cry out before making his way down her body.

He teased her mercilessly, lashing her clit with his tongue and then sucking on it so she was thrashing and bucking wildly on the bed.

Finally when her body was quivering and she could take no more, he plunged into her body in one hard thrust. He gripped her leg, lifting her bent knee so it rested evenly with his shoulder and began to thrust in long, deep strokes.

She came on a keening wale and felt him follow a few wild thrusts later before collapsing on top of her. After a few breaths he rolled over, tugging her with him so she lay sprawled and panting on his chest.

"You tell him?" Charlie asked after their breathing had become regular again.

"That we slept together last night." She confirmed.

"He going to hex me?"

She chuckled, "No, he's known I've snuck off to have flings over the last three years. He's not deluded into thinking I'm a nun like Harry and Ron seem to want."

He smacked her ass, "Flings?"

She yelped, squirming against him, but his arm around her waist held her tightly. She chuckled, "Well I dated a little for that first year we worked together."

Charlie growled and rolled so she was pinned under him, "Did you?"

She grinned at him, "Yeah but I decided I didn't like dating and all the pretention and hassle with every git wanting me to be whatever they had envisioned the Girl of the Golden Trio to be."

"Don't like dating."

"Nah." She shook her head and he began to tickle her until she cried uncle.

He returned them to their previous position, with her sprawled over his chest, "What did Bill say?"

"He's not worried about either of us getting hurt since neither of us do relationships." Charlie snorted and Hermione grinned, kissing his chest.

"Take it you didn't mention it's been two years since we started shagging?"

"No." She chuckled, "I told you, he thinks I've been off having flings and besides we decided to end it last time."

"That was before you pulled me into a room and reminded me why we are so fucking good together. Bill never asks who you're with?"

"No." She sighed. "I told you. He'll tease me about it but he never asks for details."

Charlie snorted and she snuggled into his chest, kissing up his sternum to his neck and around to his ear before biting it. He moaned and let his hands wander over her back and hips as she kissed along his jaw to his mouth.

In the morning Hermione stretched and climbed out of bed, looking down at the naked man sleeping, with the sheet clutched to her chest.

It's not everyday a single witch wakes with a gorgeous wizard, naked in her bed, especially if that witch is Hermione Granger, unless the gorgeous wizard happened to be her, not-boyfriend, Charlie Weasley that is. She shook her head at him and went to close the curtains, they'd again neglected to close them last night and she was startled by a knock on her door.

Charlie groaned and rolled over as Hermione went to open the door, finding Bill grinning in at her, his brows lifting at her in a teasing expression, "Have a good night?"

"Bugger off Bill." She grinned at him.

He laughed, "Missed breakfast."

"Shame." She sighed.

"I'll buy you coffee when we get back."

"Back?"

"We're do at Gringotts in thirty minutes." He reminded her, "Didn't want you to be late, again." He teased.

"Eek." She squealed slamming the door in his face, hearing his laughter through it as she spun around and hurriedly dressed, magicking her things back in her travel case.

"Mia?" Charlie growled from the bed.

"Right." She spun around, kissed him quickly but passionately, "Bye." She whispered with a wink and hurried out to Bill, all in under five minutes. "Ready." She huffed at him.

"Bye Charlie!" He called through her closed door.

"Bugger off Bill." He shouted back.

Bill just laughed and led Hermione outside where a portkey was waiting for them.


	2. Chapter 2

Later, in Shell Cottage, Bill watched his partner and his wife, bustling about the kitchen, a worried frown creasing his brow.

"Bill?" Fleur finally noticed as she turned to set a dish on the table.

He shook his head but she'd caught Hermione's attention and the younger witch turned to him in concern, "Bill?"

"Does it change things?" The idea had slowly crept up this morning and wouldn't leave him, instead it was growing and making his gut churn angrily.

Hermione bit her lip and shook her head, "No." She breathed out walking over to him and sitting on the chair next to him, "Not for me."

He gave her a grim smile, "Eventually one of them will."

"Bill." She sighed taking his hand.

"What's happened?" Fleur asked, looking from one to another.

Hermione swallowed and looked down. "She's slept with Charlie." Bill answered for her.

"Oh." Fleur sighed and then shook her head, "Is it matter who?"

Bill sighed, "Not until I met one of them." He groaned and rubbed his hand over his face, "Not until it was my brother."

"Charlie is not going to fall in love wiz her and get hiz heart broken mon amour." Fleur reassured him, then she frowned again, looking from Bill to Hermione, "Are you in love wiz him?"

Hermione shook her head and then shrugged because she couldn't lie to them, "Maybe."

Fleur smiled sadly at her and reached her free hand out; Hermione clasped it, connecting the three of them in a circle.

"Even if it's not him, it will be someone." Fleur finally added sadly.

"I love you." Hermione told her.

"We love you too, mon amour." Fleur told her.

"Do you want out?" Bill asked her quietly.

"No." She shook her head as tears stung her eyes, "I love you Bill, working with you, being with you and Fleur."

"Then be with us." He implored her.

"Oui." Fleur squeezed her hand, "Move in wiz us 'ere we can be a vamily."

Hermione shook her head, "You know I can't."

"Why?" Bill growled.

"We can make zem underzand and we will be 'appy togezer." Fleur assured her.

"I know." She sighed.

"I haven't asked you for fidelity Mia and I'm not now." Bill sighed, running his hand through his hair.

"What are you asking me for?" She asked quietly.

He shook his head, "I don't know." Then he sighed, "A guarantee you can't give."

"Bill?"

His eyes met hers, burning with intensity, "I know Fleur is mine. She's mine and it's forever. You," He sighed again, "You might fall in love and want to get married, have a normal relationship, children."

"We could have zat togezer." Fleur protested, her accent stronger with her emotions.

Bill shook his head and turned to smile a grim smile at her, "We grew up in this world Fleur, she didn't, it's hard enough for our kind to accept a triad _marriage_ and not just a triad relationship, for her," He nodded to Hermione, "I'm honestly surprised she's been with us for the last three years."

"I love you." Hermione squeezed both their hands.

"Would you give this, us, everything though?" Bill demanded, already knowing the answer.

Hermione bit back tears, "I'm not ready for marriage Bill, for babies."

"To tell the world what we share." He agreed.

"Are you?"

"No." He shook his head, "I like things the way they are."

"So do I." Hermione whispered.

"I'd like you both 'ome more." Fleur added and then turned to Hermione, "Living wiz us wouldn't have to mean telling people or even marriage. You already mostly do." She sighed, "I want to welcome you both 'ome at the end of ze day."

Hermione smiled at her, "My flat is more for show at this point Fleur, I've not spent more than a night in it in a month. I like coming home to you and Victoire, I just don't want to become something between the two of you, you're married, you need alone time too."

"We have alone time when you do." Bill argued.

"Just like I 'ave alone time while you work." Fleur added. "Zis works for us. It 'as for zree years."

"So what is it then?" Hermione turned to Bill again, "You just don't want me sleeping with Charlie? Is that what this is about?"

"No." He growled, "I want to know it's not going to end."

"You said your self I can't promise that Bill."

"I know."

"I can promise that I love you, both of you, so much and I've never been happier, I don't want anything to change."

"So why does it feel like everything is?" His eyes burned into hers.

"I haven't been sleeping around for two years." She admitted. Bill snorted lifting his brow at her in challenge, his eyes angry as he saw it as a blatant lie. She'd never hidden from him that she'd been with someone else. She shook her head and bit her lip, "I've been sleeping with Charlie."

The look of shock on both their faces brought tears to her eyes, "You 'ave" Fleur swallowed, "You an 'e are togezer?"

Hermione shook her head, "Not officially."

"Does he know?" Bill's voice was steady, his emotions closed down.

"No." She shook her head, "He knows there's someone else but he doesn't know about the two of you." Bill swallowed and nodded. Tears choked her, "Bill?"

He shook his head and got up from the table, leaving Shell Cottage without a word. "Will you leave us zen?" Fleur asked softly.

Hermione shook her head as tears broke through and streamed down her face, "I don't want to." She breathed squeezing her lovers hand, "I don't want to lose you. I just, I had to be honest."

Fleur nodded, "It will all be alright zen."

"Will it?"

Fleur nodded again, "It must, 'e and I both love you to much, nozing 'as to change now if you aren't leaving us, if it is Charlie you leave us for, it will be 'ard but it will be 'ard no matter who it is and at least we know 'e is a good man."

"Charlie doesn't do relationships or marriage Fleur."

She nodded, "Per'aps, but 'e makes it real for Bill zat you are not completely ours and while we can share you, it is easy because we know you come back to us, now 'e is seeing, maybe one day, you wont. It scares us both."

Hermione sighed, "I always want to come home to you Fleur."

"I always want you to come 'ome to me Mia."

Holding hands the two witches stood from the table, sharing a lingering and sweet kiss, before turning back to the food still simmering in the kitchen.

Bill came back a little while later, sweaty from his run down the beach. He showered and joined them, no one brought up Charlie but that night Bill's wilder side came out as he made both women scream his name in pleasure as he drive into one and then the other mercilessly, while they kissed each other, letting fingers and mouths run over smooth soft skin, relearning the curves and gently sucking on spots they knew were especially sensitive.

Hermione slept, her fingers entwined with Fleur's and their calves crossed, each having a leg flung over Bill and curled into his sides.

The days passed and she and Bill were sent on another mission, this time to Spain, they both kissed Fleur and hugged Victoire goodbye before stepping outside to take the portkey.

"Bill?"

"Mia?"

"Are we ok?"

He grinned at her, "Always." He dipped his head to kiss her and she felt the familiar tug around her navel as the portkey activated. This case was harder than the one that brought them to the reserve and they were joined a couple days later by another Curse-breaker, it still took them a week before they were able to go home.

Fleur jumped into Bill's arms kissing him thoroughly before pushing him down the hall to shower and turning to Hermione. The two women embraced and Hermione ran her rose up the woman's neck, she smelled sweet and clean, like soap and berries. Hermione licked the same path and Fleur moaned before kissing her.

Bill found them, fresh from his shower, half naked on the couch and carted them both off to bed. Hermione slipped out to shower herself after, leaving the couple to a little time alone as well, she went to the kitchen to start supper. Their routines were familiar and comfortable at Shell Cottage, it was home to Hermione, more than any other place had been. She got to care for Victoire without the stress, worry or full-time commitment of having her own child, she shared a relationship with Fleur she'd never had with another woman, not just the sexual aspect but the long conversations they'd have and the quiet comfort and understanding of their time together. Bill was her friend, her partner, they both challenged her mentally but he pushed her to be better and think outside of the books and research putting ideas together in new ways. He infuriated her, teased her, made her laugh and alright, the gorgeous, light-hearted, part werewolf was an animal in bed and she loved it. She loved everything about her relationship with them and wasn't sure what held her back from committing completely. Fear that one day they might not want her, sure but that was fading as the years passed just like the worry about jealousy or any one of the three of them feeling overwhelmed or conversely left out. Fleur was happy to have more children and Hermione wasn't sure she wanted any but Bill didn't mind either way. He wasn't ready to tell his family any more than she was because they knew it would be an issue though Fleur had told hers, being Veela they were very open and accepting. The only other thing was… Charlie. For the last two years she had fallen steadily in love with the dragon keeper and she didn't want to lose him anymore than she wanted to lose Bill and Fleur. It was selfish really and in the end she was afraid she'd lose all of them.


	3. Chapter 3

Hermione lost in thoughts was distracted and decided to give the couple space and go back to her own flat for the weekend. She left them a note, and dinner on the stove and apparated into her living room. It was dusty and musty having been empty so long, she tried to remember the last time she'd actually stayed and couldn't quite recall, it really was surprising no one had taken note of her living at Shell Cottage most of the last year. She tidied up, opening all the windows to air it out and settled in for a night of muggle television with a glass of wine.

The next day she went round to visit Harry and Ginny, did some shopping and even went into muggle London, returning late and collapsing on her couch exhausted.

Sunday meant supper at the burrow so she slept in and lazed about before going to visit Luna so she could go early and help Molly with the cooking.

Hermione was surprised to find Charlie home.

"Charlie." She grinned at him, "When did you get home?"

He shrugged, "Just popped in for Sunday dinner." Then he winked at her when Molly's back was turned, his expression heated. It was rare she saw him twice in so few weeks, usually they spent a heated couple days together, when their schedules gave them time for a mini-break from work and other obligations to go away, and they'd meet up, spend a long weekend and then say goodbye until another six or seven weeks had passed, and on occasion the time had stretched into two or almost three months.

She blushed and busied herself with setting the table. It wasn't long before the others arrived. Hermione cooed over Victoire, not having seen the little girl for the better part of three days. She wanted to run her fingers along the graceful line of Fleur's neck and nibble her lower lip, feeling the softness of their curves pressed together but contented herself with sharing a secret smile and a kiss on the cheek. Bill she hugged as it was not unusual for her to hug all of the Weasley's and her body thrilled at his hard body contrasting with her softness as his arm wrapped around her for a too brief moment. At home he'd have pulled her up into his arms and kissed her thoroughly and her body ached for him now.

She saw him stiffen as she stepped away and turned to see Charlie enter the room.

"Charlie." He nodded to his brother.

"Hey Bill." Charlie grinned at him. "Long time no see."

Bill didn't respond to the banter, "Everything ok with the cave?"

"Fine. The Black is all moved in now."

"She's healed?" Hermione sent Bill a questioning look but turned to Charlie with a smile.

"Mostly." Charlie nodded, "It's lucky too, they're pretty rare and she was touch and go for a while but I've got her settled in and almost feisty."

Hermione laughed and shook her head at him, "I'm going to finish helping Molly, coming Fleur?"

The beautiful French Veela nodded and sent her husband a look before following Hermione into the kitchen where Ginny was sitting down snacking on tea and cookies, her very pregnant belly supporting the plate and Angelina was finishing filling glasses for people at the table.

They all chattered until Ron arrived with his latest girlfriend on his arm and finally supper was served. It seemed like a long and tense evening to Hermione as Bill was in a foul mood, Fleur seemed a bit nervous and Charlie had become distant.

Hermione wasn't sure if she should go to Shell Cottage as she'd expected when the couple made an early exit, citing the coming full moon for Bill's gruff behavior.

Not long after they left, everyone else said goodbye, leaving Hermione helping to clean the mess left for Molly. It wasn't until she began walking to the appartation point she realized Charlie hadn't left. He was waiting for her on the front stoop.

"Charlie?"

"Guess he didn't take it as well as you thought."

She sighed, "No, I suppose not but he is ok with it."

"Is he?" Charlie sighed and stood up motioning for her to walk with him and he led the way to the apparation point. "Seemed pretty pissed with me tonight."

"I told him about the two years." She whispered.

"That made it worse?" He sounded surprised. "I've never been with one woman for a year, we've been together two and what, he thinks I'm just screwing you?"

"Aren't you?"

He growled and pulled her to a stop, "Is that what _you_ think?"

She shrugged, "We agreed this," she motioned between them, "Wasn't anything more than what it is."

"What's that?"

"Sex." She stated bluntly, knowing it was a lie, "And friendship." She added quieter then sighed, "I love you Charlie."

"Exactly." He was glaring at her still, "And I love you, we've been sleeping together for two years Hermione, that's a bleeding relationship."

"Not exclusively."

He shrugged, "It doesn't mean it's not real and if you want fidelity then fine. I'll stop screwing around, we can tell the whole damn family we're a couple but it doesn't mean what's between us will have to change."

"Wont it?"

"No."

She pulled away and began walking again, "Hermione." He pulled her to a stop.

"I don't want anything to change." She told him, unable to fight the tears, "I'm happy, why can't things just stay the way they are."

He wiped away the tears, "Between us?"

She nodded, "For everything."

"They can." He sighed, "Bill will get over it, he's just worried I'm going to break your heart, I hate having him mad at me but its fine. I'm sorry."

"I'm not sure they can." She whispered brokenly before apparating away.

She stood outside Shell Cottage and for the first time in three years she hesitated walking in, wondering if maybe she should knock.

"Mia?" Fleur opened the door a moment later, her voice gentle.

"How is he?" She asked nodding to the house.

"Out for a run." Fleur ushered her into the house. "It really is almost ze moon mon amour."

"I know." She sighed.

"What is wrong?"

"You tell me?"

"He was very un'appy you left zis weekend. We both were."

"I'm sorry." Hermione told her hugging her, "I was just giving you two a little space."

She nodded, "It was easier for 'im not to know who you were wiz when you left 'im."

Hermione frowned, "I was alone. I told you in the note I went home for the weekend."

"Zis is your 'ome." Fleur protested.

Hermione nodded, "I know."

Bill came in then and she bit her lip, Bill growled.

"Bill?" Hermione bit back tears.

He strode inside and yanked her up into his arms, kissing her almost violently. When he pulled back so they could both breath he set her down on the table and stepped back.

"Fuck." His hissed. Then he glared at her, "I can't."

"Bill?"

"I can't see it. I know it and it didn't bother me, I didn't think it bothered me. I know I could be rough with you after, claiming you as ours again but it never bothered me knowing you were going and that you might be with someone else but I didn't think it was serious." He growled, "I didn't think you'd go back to someone, that you were in a relationship with someone."

"I'm sorry."

"I could live with it, knowing you were still mine, that you would keep coming back to us but I can't watch it Mia. I can't sit across a table from him knowing he's slowly stealing you from me and I can't live with it being my brother because I can't hate him for making you love him."

"Bill." She sniffled and bit her lip as tears streamed down her face no matter how hard she tried to fight them back.

His eyes held hers and the demand sounded almost like a plea, "Leave him."

She wanted to say yes, she wanted to tell him she only loved the two of them and would never need anyone else. She couldn't breathe as the words refused to come and she sat there crying.

"Damn it." He cursed and his fist went through a wall before he turned back to her, "Why?"

Her mouth moved and she tried desperately to tell him she'd stop seeing Charlie but the words that came out on a broken sob ripped out all three of their hearts, "I love him."

Bill looked like she'd hit him and Fleur was crying gently, her hand clutching Hermione's on the table.

Without a word he turned and left again.

She and Fleur didn't move, both crying and clutching each other's hand, afraid to let go for fear it would be the end.

Finally Hermione stood and pulled the older witch into her arms in a tight embrace. Fleur kissed her, the kiss was sweet and tasted of tears, it tasted of goodbye.

Hermione went to the stoop and apparated to her flat, dropping onto the ground she let the pain flooding her body come out in giant wracking sobs.

She called in sick to work the next day, and the next; on the third day she requested a leave of absence. With a sad goodbye to Harry and Ron with words of love and promises to write for the others, she packed up her bags and took the international floo the very next day.


	4. Chapter 4

Three months she'd been in America and for three miserable months she'd missed everything about home, mostly though she'd missed Bill and Fleur but just as much she missed Charlie and there in lay the problem, for two years she'd had her cake and eaten it too, now she wasn't sure how to give that up.

It was selfish but she wanted the family with Bill and Fleur, the gentle understanding and sweet affection of Fleur, the teasing banter and steamy passion of Bill and the toe tingling heat the three of them shared in the bedroom that was tempered by the easy and comfortable routines of their shared lives. She also wanted the passion and excitement she shared with Charlie, the games they played and the laughter they shared. When she was with him she felt free and young and beautiful, wild and adventurous.

It was Harry who finally came to get her.

"I have a son." He told her as she walked up the steps of her flat and saw him sitting there.

"I know." She sighed and then added, "He's beautiful."

"I have a son Hermione." He said again. "You haven't even met him." Finally his eyes met hers. "You've been like a sister to me for over half my life, you followed me on every wild adventure and stood by my side every horrible step of the journey to defeat Voldemort and you've never met my son."

"Harry."

He shook his head, "I can't seem to reconcile it. Ten and a half weeks since he's born and his god mother hasn't met him."

"His godmother?"

Harry shook his head, "Who else?"

"Harry." She sent him a soft smile and he closed his eyes banging his head against her door.

"You protected me even when under torture, saved my life countless times no matter what risk to yourself and I just," He sighed and looked at her again, "I haven't been there for you the same."

"Harry!" She protested and dropped to sit beside him, "Of course you have."

He shook his head, "I knew you were hurting when you left but I told myself you needed a little time and space but" he swallowed, "Its been months Hermione. I have a son that you haven't met. Whatever hurt you must have been bad enough that for the first time since I met you, you've not only had to run away but have maybe been broken and I didn't try to fix it, I wasn't there for you and I'm sorry."

"No, Harry." She hugged him.

"Please, Hermione, I should have been here months ago but I'm here now and I'm begging you, talk to me, please."

She nodded and motioned to the door behind them, "Come inside Harry."

He looked around the almost bare flat while she made them both tea.

"I've missed you." He told her as she handed him a mug.

"Me too Harry and I should have come home when James was born. It's terrible of me that I haven't met him."

Harry shook his head, "I know it must be something big if its kept you away so long Hermione, I know you to well, even if we aren't as close as we were, well, I guess I just thought we didn't see each other as much but we were still, you know, us."

"We are Harry."

"Talk to me Mione. Please."

She sighed, "I've been, well, before I left, I um, I was sleeping with Charlie."

He nodded, "He broke your heart?"

She shook her head, "I broke it, mine and his both."

"Why?"

"We were together, well, casually together for two years." He nodded for her to continue, "I couldn't commit and neither could he, we live such different lives but it worked for us. At first it was just sex." She blushed.

"You loved him though."

She nodded, "I did, I do. That's the problem."

"Why?"

This was the worse part, she wasn't sure he'd understand and she didn't want him to hate her, "For three years," She swallowed, "Since about a month after we became partners, I've been with Bill."

"Hermione!" He gasped. "He's married."

She nodded and looked at her hands, "I know."

"How could you? How could he?"

"It's not, it wasn't like that Harry."

"What was it like then?" She could see the doubt and accusation in his eyes but also the love and concern.

"We were, the three of us, were together."

His face was blank with shock as he thought about it, "Three…"

She nodded, "Bill, Fleur and I."

"You…" He licked his lips, "Bill _and_ Fleur were… for three years?" She nodded. "Shite." He whispered.

"Harry." She touched his arm gently and he laughed. "Harry?"

"Minx." He shot at her and then shook his head. "Wow."

"Yeah." She smiled at him, her whole body almost sagging in relief at how accepting her seemed to be.

They were silent for a minute, "Did you love him, them?"

"Yes." She nodded.

"You were having an affair though?" He frowned in confusion as he remembered that she'd been with Charlie for two of the years.

She shook her head, "Bill called them flings." She swallowed, "He didn't know it was just Charlie for two years, until, until the end."

"What?" He shook his head, "You are going to have to explain this to me from the start ok?"

She nodded, "After I was partnered with Bill, we just, clicked. It was nothing inappropriate, we flirted but he was married so I shrugged off the sexual tension." She swallowed "until he invited me for dinner at Shell Cottage." She blushed, "We'd eaten and Fleur and I were talking while tidying the kitchen and Bill was putting Victoire down and she" Hermione looked away, blushing even as her breath became shallow at the memory, "She kissed me." Hermione shook the memories away, "Things just escalated from there and the three of us… it was the first night we were together." She sighed, "I thought it was a one time thing but Bill and I talked about it, I didn't want it to affect our working together. I'm not really sure how it became so, committed but Bill and I grew closer working together and before our next job I went over to see Fleur, I'd hate to think she was worried about us in the field. We ended up kissing again and she said if things happened between Bill and I she wanted to hear about it because she'd be dreaming about it." Hermione shrugged, "Everything went from there."

"You were still dating though." Harry was sure he remembered her going out on a few dates back then.

"Yes." She nodded, "We were open about everything and they encouraged me to have my own life. It didn't stop us from becoming, very, committed in our own way. Fleur at the end wanted more, a triad marriage, Bill was about as ready as I was to share with everyone though and we were happy so while I was mostly living with them we agreed to leave things as they were."

"You didn't tell them about Charlie though."

"No. They knew I would see someone else sometimes, they just thought it was always someone different, that it wasn't was hard for Bill, for them both but it being Charlie I think made it harder for Bill."

"Did Charlie know?"

She shook her head, "He knew there was someone else but not about it being Bill and Fleur. He was ok with it. He offered me fidelity if I wanted it but I didn't ask it of him and he didn't ask it of me. Things worked between us the way it was, we were both happy and all our needs were met."

"So Fleur and Bill wanted more?"

Hermione nodded, "Bill wanted me to leave Charlie."

"You did."

"I still love him though." She felt tears threaten, "I love all three of them so much Harry and I just, I couldn't lie to Bill and Fleur about it, I couldn't just walk away from Charlie and go back to being _mostly_ his and Fleur's but neither he or I were ready for me to _really_ be theirs and I think maybe it was partly because I couldn't do that to Charlie."

Harry hugged her while she cried rubbing her back gently, his mind whirling with everything she said. Hermione Granger, slightly prudish, uptight, bookworm, his best friend, almost sister and she'd been in a triad with Bill and Fleur while maintaining a separate sexual relationship with Charlie. Holy shite!

"Come home." He whispered after her sobs had stopped. "Please?" He wasn't sure how to sort this mess out but he knew if he left her here she might hide forever and he couldn't bear to lose her.

She nodded into his chest. She wouldn't miss America, the tea wasn't as good, they never stopped commenting on her accent and the wizards were shockingly vulgar.

Harry brought her right home with him and she happily cooed over James Sirius, holding him for hours. Ginny made up a guest room since it was so late by the time they got done catching up so it wasn't until the next day she went home to her flat.

Only it wasn't home. Victoire wasn't playing and cooing in her baby language, Fleur wasn't humming as she moved about the cottage so graceful it almost hurt to watch, the place didn't smell like the ocean and Bill wouldn't come through the door, sweaty and grinning after running down the beach.

Hermione blinked away the tears and set about tidying up, throwing open the windows and whisking the dust away with her wand. She unpacked and made herself some tea and then sat at her table and cried.


	5. Chapter 5

It didn't take long for word to spread that she was home and almost everyone she knew stopped in for a chat. Avoiding the Burrow that Sunday was out of the question but she was saved having to face Bill and Fleur who were visiting her family in France or Charlie who had a sick dragon and while the new reserve was in England he apparently still only made it home once a month or so.

At least, she thought she'd been saved from having to face him too, until she got home and found him sitting on her couch.

"Not even a goodbye." He glared at her but a smile played at his lips.

"I thought we'd said all there was to say." She told him with a sigh.

His expression became serious, "We decided things shouldn't change."

She shook her head, "We agreed we didn't want them to change."

"Why do they have to?" He demanded. "What do you want from me? Or is it some one else? Does he want fidelity and family from you? Is that what you want?"

She sighed, "I love you Charlie."

"I love you too, you know that but I don't want those things, I wont ever want that life, with marriage and babies and arguing about who moved the remote."

"I never asked you for that."

"I know." He growled running his hand through his hair, "Doesn't mean you don't want it." She nodded. "You do?"

"Yes." She bit her lip, "But I want what we had too."

"So we'll have it until you're ready for all that. It doesn't have to end because you don't want this forever."

"I am ready for it though Charlie."

"Until you meet someone then."

"I have."

"The bloke you were seeing before disappearing around the world?" She nodded, "He break your heart?"

At Charlie's angry growl she laughed and shook her head, "I broke his." She admitted on a sob and then she was in his arms, crying into his broad chest.

"Why?" He asked, his hands running soothingly over her back.

"I love you." She sniffled.

He sighed and pulled away, "You love me and want a future with him and so you left us both?"

She nodded sniffling. He shook his head and pulled her back into his chest, "I love you Mia and if we stop having sex, well it will suck for me but I'll work through a few witches and eventually get you out of my system because I know I'll still have you in my life. We'll always be friends."

She shook her head, "I told him about you."

His arms tightened, "He demanded you not see me?" She shrugged, "Did he hurt you?"

At the dark growl she jumped to assure him, "No. Never." She made sure his eyes were on hers, "He would never." Charlie gave a slight nod telling her that he believed her. "He never asked me for fidelity and he knew, just like you did that he wasn't the only one in my life, he just didn't know it was more than flings, not until the end, when I told him about you."

"So he wanted you to leave me." She nodded. "You told him no."

"I told him I loved you."

"You love him?"

"Yes."

Charlie sighed, "So go work it out."

"Charlie."

"I wont ever give you those things Mia." He stepped back and ran his finger along the tear track of her cheek, "I love you and that wont change but I don't want that life and you deserve it."

"I would never ask you for that Charlie."

"I know." He gave her a small smile, "Which is why I have to love you enough to let you go, we'll still see each other at the Burrow and still be friends, we'll just give it some time for him to know I'm not going to steal you from him."

She snorted at the echo of Bills words, "It's so much more complicated than just that Charlie."

"Why?"

"It's Bill." She told him softly, her voice broken.

"Bill?" His whole body had gone still, "My brother Bill?" At her nod, he growled, "My _married_ brother Bill?"

She nodded again, "It's not like it sounds."

"It sounds like my _brother_ strung along _my_ girl and broke her heart." He spat.

She laughed, a little hysterically, "_Your_ girl?"

"I love you." He reminded her and she sniffled wiping her nose with the back of her hand as her laughs subsided.

"I know and I love you too but I was his girl first and I broke his heart remember."

He shook his head, "He's married."

"I know." Hermione sent him a small smile, "I was her girl too."

Charlie stared at her in silence before a grin broke out, "Damn," he chuckled, "Lucky bastard, I wish I'd seen that."

Hermione laughed and shook her head at him, "Charlie?"

"So you love them both?" He asked, serious again.

Hermione nodded, "Very much."

"You told Bill about us." She nodded. "He asked you to leave me." Again she nodded. "You did." A third nod and a sniffle as tears burned her eyes again. "Why did you leave them too?"

"I love you."

He nodded slowly, "Shite" he finally said and moved to her couch to sit.

"Yes." She moved to sit by him.

"You want all of those things with them don't you."

"Yes."

"I can live with that Mia." He turned to her. "Bill will get over us and we'll still be friends, we'll be family."

"Bill can get past us sleeping together Charlie," she stifled a sob, "I don't think he can get past me loving you."

Charlie pulled her into his arms and held her while she cried, "I don't know how to get past loving you." She admitted through the sobs. He just held her tighter and when she fell asleep her carried her to her room, tucked her into bed and kissed her forehead.


	6. Chapter 6

**POLL = WHO SHOULD HERMIONE END UP WITH? POPULAR OPINION TAKEN INTO ACCOUNT BUT CANNOT GUARANTEE STORY WILL GO THAT WAY AS SOMETIMES CHARACTERS/PLOTS RUN AWAY WITH ME BUT WILL MAKE A DIFFERENCE AND HELP ME CONTINUE SO PLEASE VOTE!**

**ALSO PLEASE REVIEW!**

**NOT SURE I SAID IT THOUGH IT DOES GO WITHOUT SAYING, I OWN NO CHARACTER OR PLOT WHICH IS RECOGNIZABLE! HARRY POTTER AND FRIENDS ARE NOT MINE, I'VE JUST BORROWED THEM TO PLAY WITH. THIS PLOT AND ANY NEW CHARACTERS WHICH MAY OR MAY NOT APPEAR BELONG TO ME UNLESS OTHERWISE STATED.**

**BACK TO THE STORY...**

Charlie used Hermione's floo to go home before immediately turning around to floo call France.

"Charlie?" Gabrielle grinned at him; she was in a robe and slippers.

"Sorry Gabby, I know it's late but I need to see my brother."

"Charlie?" Fleur came in with a gentle if slightly cool smile, now he knew why and why for the past few months his best friend and brother had been so distant.

"We need to talk, you, me and Bill, now." He growled. "I'll meet you at Shell Cottage in half an hour."

"I…" She began to protest but Charlie cut her off.

"Bill!" He shouted over her. "Bill!"

Bill came into the room followed by Fleur's parents, "Charlie?"

"Hermione is home and we need to talk, NOW!" He yelled the word and then disconnected.

Charlie paced his hut for ten minutes and then cursed and apparated to his brother's home, he knew it wasn't time but he couldn't wait inside.

Fleur and Bill hadn't taken their time and arrived by floo only a few minutes after Charlie, Bill's werewolf sense picking up his scent he went to the door immediately and yanked it open.

"You want to explain what the fuck you're on about?" Bill growled.

"Don't give me that shite Bill," Charlie growled right back, "She's a fucking mess and disappeared for months to across the damn world and tonight I learn it's because of you!"

"Me!" Bill spat.

"Enough!" Fleur stepped between the brothers, heading off the growing fight. She turned to Charlie, "Please, tell us about Mia. Is she alright? Does she need me?" She hesitated and looked away to hide the tears in her eyes, "Is she, does she…"

Charlie softened immediately, crying witches were his weakness, "She's an emotional wreck but she's ok Fleur, she's sleeping now."

Fleur nodded, "I should 'ave been 'ere if she came 'ome."

Bill pulled his wife into his chest and bent his head to her ear. Charlie saw her nod and then she disappeared down the hall, eyes brimming with tears.

Bill sighed and turned back to his brother.

"What did you tell her?"

"To go lie down and rest, this isn't good for the baby and that if Mia came home she'd still have been here."

"You love her?"

"My wife?"

"Mia."

"Yes, we both do."

"I love her too."

"I know." Bill sighed, "She loves you to."

"It's not the same, not for either of us."

"Charlie?"

"I love her but I wont ever give her what you will and she loves me too but she doesn't want this with me anyways."

"She left us."

"I know, because she does love me and I do love her but what we have is, its," He shrugged.

"Sex."

"Yes, and friendship, its…" Charlie ran a hand through his hair, "She's a vacation, we have fun laugh, play games, pretend we're other people. It's not really life; it's not everyday things and sharing a home and problems and a future, we talk but if you take out the wild sex and the kinky games, I'm just another friend that she loves." He sighed, "I'm not you and Fleur to her and I don't think there can be another like you for her."

"She left me, left us." Bill sighed dropping his head in his hands, both men having sunk into seats in the sitting area.

"She doesn't think you can forgive her for loving me."

Bill shook his head, "You're my brother, _I_ love you so does _Fleur_."

"I've never screwed Fleur let alone spent two years in a non-relationship with her."

"Non-relationship?" Bill questioned, eyebrow raised.

Charlie shrugged, "It's what she called us. We were together when we were and other than that." He shrugged, "Neither of us asked. I knew she had someone else and she knew there were several in and out of my life but we didn't talk about it. Well we did but we didn't."

"You don't want her?" Bill asked, looking shocked.

Charlie shrugged, "If I could keep what we had, yes, I'd keep fucking her and I will always love her but I can't and don't want to be the one to give her more." Bill nodded. "You can and you want to, don't you? You and Fleur both."

Bill nodded again, "Fleur was right, we should have married her. I just, I didn't want to risk losing her by bringing it all out in the open. I was too happy the way things were between the three of us."

"Even sharing her?"

"With Fleur?" Bill asked smiling.

Charlie shook his head with a chuckle but his expression was serious when he met his eyes again, "With me."

Bill sighed, "I didn't know about you."

"You knew there was someone."

"No." Bill shook his head, "I knew that first year she was dating and yes sleeping with other men but it was never anything serious, she was always ours I just wanted her to have the freedom to get out there so she knew it was what she wanted and because it was new for all of us, we wanted it to work and we were taking it slow to see if it would."

"And the two years she was with me?"

Bill shrugged, "I knew she was mine. I knew she'd go off on her own and I knew sometimes she'd have a fling. She missed out on her childhood, being young and flirting and making mistakes but I was sure she was coming home to me and Fleur. I didn't think it was serious, that it was only one man, that it meant something."

"So you're fine that she was fucking me as long as it didn't mean anything?"

He shrugged, "I don't even care that she loves you. I told you, you're my brother, I'd want her to love you."

"Then what?"

"Losing her didn't seem real until it was you." He admitted.

"So you thought, what, she'd leave you and marry me?"

Bill shrugged, "You've never been with any woman for two years Charlie and she's fucking, she's" he sighed, "everything."

Charlie nodded, "I know but it wasn't exclusive and she's the only woman I've been with who never asked for more from me. She is… amazing and I love her, Merlin knows I still desire her but Bill, I wouldn't and couldn't steal her from you." Bill shook his head in protest but Charlie didn't let him speak, "She's in love with you, with Fleur. The life you three share, it's the life she wants."

"How can you be sure?" Charlie could hear the hope in his brother's demand.

"She told me."

"She…"

Charlie nodded, "Tonight, she told me about you and Fleur and that she loved you both, she's a fucking mess Bill and its not because _I_ haven't been around for three months, hell we've not seen each other almost that long before, nothing changed for us." Bill nodded and Charlie stood up, "Fix it." Bill nodded again. "And congratulations on Fleur being pregnant again."

"Thanks." Bill sent his brother a smile but it didn't stay, "I'm sorry Charlie."

"For loving her?" Charlie laughed, "I don't blame you. Mom might, Ron definitely will, but" Charlie shrugged, "Be happy, make _her_ happy."

After Charlie left Bill got up and went to his room to look in on his wife, she was curled on the bed with a sweater of Hermione's, crying even in her sleep.

He kissed her gently awake. "Fleur."

She blinked her liquid eyes open and he leaned down and kissed her, "I'm going to bring our girl home."

She smiled at him as fresh tears fell, "Promise?"

"Yes and this time, we're not letting her go." Fleur smiled at him brightly and he kissed her again, "Sleep, we'll both be home by morning."

He watched her close her eyes and waited until her breathing evened out before he quietly slipped out of the room and apparated to his girls flat.


	7. Chapter 7

Hermione was curled, much like Fleur, on her side only on the opposite side of the bed as though they were facing each other. He gently woke her up with a kiss and she sighed his name into his mouth, "Bill." Her eyes blinked open, "Bill!" He chuckled, his heart swelling that even in her sleep she'd know his touch.

"Charlie told us you were home. We rushed back, Fleur was devastated when you weren't there."

Her mouth opened to speak and then closed as tears pooled in her eyes, she licked her lips and tried again, "I told him."

"I know." He nodded, wiping away the tears.

"Harry too."

"How'd he take it?"

She chuckled, "Better than I expected." She sighed, "Both of them did."

"Not everyone will take it so well." He reminded her.

"I know." She sighed.

"We can face it together, it wont really matter what they think anyways."

"Bill?"

"Come home Mia."

"I… Charlie."

"You love him." His gave her a sad smile, "I know, it's ok as long as you're still mine."

She blinked at the tears but one fell anyways, "I've always been."

He wiped it away and then leaned down to kiss away the rest that escaped, "I know." He murmured, "I was just afraid."

"Why?"

"Losing you had never felt like a real possibility before that day."

"I love you so much."

"I love you too, so does Fleur." He kissed her gently, "Please come home."

She sniffled, "Everything's going to change."

"It already did." He reminded her. "The only thing I can't handle is losing you, whatever else changes, we can make it work, the three of us."

She nodded and clung to him, "I missed you every day."

"You have no idea." He hugged her a little too tight but she didn't mind, she just snuggled deeper into his chest.

"Can we go home now?" She whispered.

He didn't answer but she felt the familiar squeeze of apparition and then they landed, her on top of him, on a sand dune a few feet away from the cottage. Quickly he rolled on top of her and kissed her passionately. She moaned into his mouth, clawing at his clothes, managing to get his shirt off. He laughed and kissed her hard, pushing her skirt up and undoing his pants.

He was inside of her a moment later and she screamed in ecstasy at the feel of him after so long. Neither of them could last, not this first time and she came on a keening wail of his name.

Fleur was in the door when he gathered her up in his arms and carried her to the cottage. She wiggled to get down and he set her on her feet, the two women were in each others arms in the next second, holding each other tightly. The kiss they shared had him hard again and he pushed them both inside.

Hermione explored her lovers body, enthralled by the changes.

"I'm pregnant." Fleur explained a little nervous.

Hermione beamed at her and kissed her, "It's wonderful."

None of them got much sleep that night and none of them minded.

In the morning Hermione cooed over Victoire, playing with her while Fleur cooked. Bill watched his family with a content feeling, this was how it was supposed to be, this was his heaven and he'd do anything to keep them all together, all happy.

"I'm going for my run." He told them.

Hermione smiled up at him from the floor where she was making Victoire's toys dance and the little girl laugh.

Fleur turned to smile at him but her eyes caught on her lover and child, "Breakfast will be ready in twenty minutes."

Bill watched his wife, smiling softly at Hermione and Victoire, her hand resting on her stomach, she looked more at peace than he had ever seen her and his heart swelled further. They belonged together, the three of them and their family and he would do everything he could to keep them that way.

It was so easy for things to go back the way they had been but Bill felt more relaxed and confident in his relationship and he knew both his girls felt the same. Fleur was glowing and Hermione always smiling, it was how he always wanted them. The week was blissful, Hermione came back to work and they'd go home to Fleur at night, spending time just the three of them, well four with Victoire.

"Marry us." Bill spoke up Friday night at dinner.

"Bill?" Hermione turned to him questioningly.

"I know it will be hard for you, telling everyone, I know some people will talk and not everyone will be as happy for us as Fleur's family or even take the news as easily as Harry and Charlie did. I know its asking a lot but I love you, Fleur loves you, the three of us belong together."

"I love you Bill."

"So marry me, marry us."

"Oui." Fleur added softly, "I have wanted this for so long. Let us be a true family."

"I…" Hermione hesitated looking from one of her lovers to the next. Her eyes filled with tears and though there was a part of her that questioned if it was the right thing, she nodded her head, the words coming before she could over think it, "Yes." She smiled at each of them, "Yes, I want us to be a family, to not be a secret anymore."

Bill laughed pulling her up and into a kiss. Fleur joined the hug, both of them turning in his embrace to kiss.

Victoire let out a loud bubble of laughter and they turned to her laughing as well. "Mimi is going to marry Mummy and I." Bill explained to his daughter lifting her up and tossing her in the air to catch her, making her squeal with laughter, "Everyone will know you have two mothers."

"Mimi and Mummy." Victoire clapped as he held her.

They spent the night celebrating and Bill produced a ring, it matched Fleur's exactly. They talked about the ceremony and new wedding bands; they'd each wear three twined together to show their united union. Saturday was spent on the beach together, they played with Victoire and took every opportunity to touch each other or sneak kisses.

That night they discussed telling everyone and decided it had been put off long enough. It was past time every one knew they were a triad. Sunday dinner was as good a time as any to share the news and this way they could get it over with all in one go. They were all nervous in their way, how the family took it would be a big deal, no matter what they'd work it out, Bill was determined to make sure of it, to make sure both women he loved were happy and no one hurt them.


	8. Chapter 8

Bill was grateful when he saw Charlie there, knowing he had his brother's support.

"So Mia, how's life back at Shell Cottage? Happy to be home?" Charlie's words quieted the room, shocking all of them, including Bill and Fleur.

"You have no idea." She grinned at him.

"You must be so excited about the baby." Charlie continued.

"BABY!" Mrs. Weasley shouted, turning on Hermione, "You're pregnant? Merlin, who is the father? You should move in here not Shell Cottage, I'll take care of you."

"I'm not pregnant, Mrs. Weasley."

"I am." Fleur grinned at them all. "Per'aps Mia will 'ave ze next one."

Hermione shook her head, "I'll leave mommy role to you."

Fleur rolled her eyes, "I will zill take care of zem while you work mon amour, it is ze zame as wiz Victoire and ze new baby, zey are yours too."

Hermione blushed, "Maybe one day."

Bill licked his lips, he liked the idea of both his women, swollen with his child and he tugged both their bodies into his, covering how _much_ he liked the idea while breathing them in and loving that he could now do so in public.

"WHAT?" Ginny found her voice first, not her volume control though so the shout started James crying.

"Mione's been living with Bill and Fleur for a year Gin, you seriously didn't know?" Harry asked nonchalantly.

"You knew about this!" She spun on him.

Harry shifted on his feet, "Well sure, um, it's been, what, _years_ now?"

"Three I think." Charlie chimed in.

"Three and a half, though she's been gone the last three months." Bill bit back a smile, grateful for the way they had handled this for the triad, coming out and telling the others during dinner would have been… difficult.

"We will not be doing zat again." Fleur huffed, "Eet waz too long apart."

"I missed you too." Hermione told her gently, sliding their hands together.

"OI WHAT KIND OF JOKE IS THIS?" Ron shouted, making James cry again.

"KEEP YOUR VOICE DOWN RONALD YOU SCARED JAMES!" Gin yelled at him.

"You're yelling!" He spat back.

Ginny huffed and turned to them, "What _is_ going on here?"

"Yeah because if this is a prank, you should have shared it with me Mione." George huffed, "Made it believable. You know, you, me, Angie" His eyebrows waggled.

"You better not try sharing anything with my woman. It's bad enough…"

"Oi, no need to tell them I shagged Mia." Charlie jumped in.

"Wasn't planning on it." Bill said with his eyebrow raised.

"YOU WHAT?" Mrs. Weasley and Ron both shouted.

Charlie blushed, "I, um, uh, nothing. What were you saying Bill?"

Bill chuckled and shook his head; "I was going to say it was bad enough Ron used to have a thing for her."

"Can we get back to Charlie shagging Hermione?" Angelina asked confused.

"Let's not shall we." Charlie muttered. Catching her glare he turned to Mrs. Weasley, "She's happy with Bill anyways mum, wouldn't want to marry me and he's shagged her _way_ more."

She looked like she was going to faint.

"Alright, it's not funny anymore." Percy interrupted.

"What's not funny?" Andromeda asked walking into the room with Teddy.

"I've asked Hermione to marry me." Bill told her.

"Marry you?" Harry grinned.

"You're already married." Percy's wife reminded him.

"We are," he agreed kissing Fleur's temple, "and now Mia will marry us too." He turned to kiss Hermione's temple as the two women linked hands.

"WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON HERE?" Ron shouted, his face nearly purple.

"Geez mate, you'd think you didn't know Mione has been living with them for like a year." Harry laughed, winking at Hermione.

"WHAT?" Mrs. Weasley shouted.

"She has not!" Ginny protested.

"Well she did before taking the transfer to help sort out the American Gringotts in New York." Bill said with a shrug before turning to Hermione, "Told you you'd hate being in the office and not the field."

She rolled her eyes, "I know but it _was_ a good experience and the Goblins gave me a raise since I'm now qualified not to be your underling."

"I like it when you're under me." He smiled wickedly at her, forgetting their audience.

She blushed, "You like it when I've over you too."

Harry cleared his throat, blushing, "Um, guys?"

Hermione blushed brighter and turned her attention back to the gaping group. Fleur was giggling, trying to hold back her amusement at their distraction.

"Mimi!" Victoire tugged at her skirt.

Hermione bent and picked the four-year-old up and kissed her cheek noisily making the little girl giggle.

"I'm hungry." The little girl told her snuggling into her neck.

"Dinner!" Mrs. Weasley shouted running back into the kitchen.

"Mummy?" The other's questioned.

Hermione shook her head, "Mimi. Fleur is Mummy."

"Come and eat!" Mrs. Weasley shouted.

They all trudged into the kitchen. Dinner was delicious as always but it was subdued and quiet for the first time ever. Hermione picked at her meal and Fleur squeezed her knee in comfort.

Everyone kept shooting them glances.

"So." Charlie tried, "Fleur, how far along are you?"

"Five months." Fleur smiled at him, "I will show soon."

Hermione grinned at her, "The little bump is there."

Fleur rolled her eyes, "I am just getting fat."

"You're a rail, that's my boy." Bill told her wrapping his arm around his wife's shoulder.

"Girl." Hermione and Fleur told him as one.

He shook his head, "I'm already out numbered, this one will be a boy. Boys run in the family."

"Girls run in mine." Fleur reminded him.

"Does it matter?" Hermione interrupted them.

"No." Bill agreed.

Fleur just smiled at her, "Ze boy will be yours."

Hermione rolled her eyes, "Let's worry about me having babies _after_ we're married."

Ron choked on his mouthful.

"Eat!" Mrs. Weasley reminded all the others who were watching the triad again, mouths agape.

"James smiled today." Harry tried to divert the attention away from them entirely and start a conversation.

"It was gas." Ginny told him not turning away from Hermione, "You weren't living with them last year. I dropped you off at your flat."

Hermione shrugged, "I still have it."

"We should sell it." Bill spoke up.

Startled she turned to him, "Sell my flat?"

"You're never there."

"I am when you and Fleur need space."

"We never need space."

"I have you when we travel, she deserves time alone with you too." Hermione argued.

Bill glared at her, unable to come up with an argument. Hermione smirked at him, knowing he had nothing to retaliate with.

"You do not alwayz travel togezer." Fleur reminded them, "zen I 'ave time alone wiz ze ozer."

"Mostly we do." Hermione countered easily. "It's not fair to you."

"So what, you want to not work together?" Bill demanded.

Hermione shook her head and sighed, "I just think we should keep my flat."

"Let's talk about zis later." Fleur interrupted them.

"You agree with her?" Bill asked his wife, refusing to drop the matter.

Fleur nodded, "It does no 'arm to keep it if she wishes and it is nice for Victoire and I to use when you are away and I wish to be in ze city for a couple days."

Bill sighed, "Fine, we'll keep it for now."

"So this isn't a prank?" Percy confirmed.

"No." All three of them responded instantly.

"You three… you three… you're all… oh my." Percy's wife blushed.

"We share a triad relationship." Bill supplied.

"We 'ave for zree years." Fleur added, "Now we are going to be married."

"You've been together three years and before that you were with Charlie?" George asked Hermione with a frown.

She blushed, not wanting to explain the open part of the relationships.

"Bugger off George." Charlie shot out.

"Got a thing for Weasley's is all huh." George winked at her

Charlie snapped out his reply without thinking "Just the two of us and we were just…" He cut himself off catching his mother's glare and returning to his sense before the word sex came out of his mouth.

Hermione shifted uncomfortably, not looking at any of them.

Bill glared at her, "You told me you and Ron…"

"We never did!" She snapped at him. "I've never lied to you! Not about anything." She insisted.

"Then what the hell is he talking about?" Bill demanded back.

Hermione bit back tears, "You really think I lied to you about sleeping with your brother?"

"It wouldn't be the first time." He shot back.

Her mouth opened but she closed it again, trying to fight back the tears, "I never." She finally got out. "I didn't tell you, not right away, but I never _lied_ about it."

They sat glaring at each other for a minute, Hermione trying desperately not to cry. It was Fleur to finally break the silence. "Please, mes amours, ne pas disputer, don't fight."

"Will you ever trust me?" She asked Bill, her eyes holding his steadily.

"So you didn't before. When did you?" He demanded. "When did you screw my baby brother?"

She shook her head losing the battle with her tears as the first one fell. She pulled from Fleur's hand and got up, "This will never work." She told him in a whisper.

"Mia." Fleur protested, her face stricken and tears shining in her eyes.

Hermione sniffled, "He'll never trust me." The explanation sounded like a broken plea for the woman she loved to understand but all that radiated out the other woman's eyes was pain and Hermione breathed out the next, "I can't marry someone who doesn't trust me." With that she spun and ran from the room.


	9. Chapter 9

The table sat in stunned silence. The whole night was insane.

"Fred." George whispered finally breaking the silence that had fallen.

"What?" Angelina asked softly, not quite hearing his quiet huff.

"Fred." George repeated louder, turning to Bill. "She lost, they both lost, their virginity to each other."

"What!" Ron shouted.

"Fred!" Ginny shouted, "She didn't tell me it was Fred!"

George shook his head, "I'm the only one knew they were together."

"She was with Fred!" Ron's face was going red again.

"When?" Charlie was just as shocked as the rest of his family. She'd told him about everyone she'd slept with, except her first, only telling him the boy had died in the war and she'd loved him.

"Fifth year, she was sixteen, Fred and I still seventeen."

"She never dated him!" Ron agrued.

"For two years." George admitted shaking his head, "Right up until…" Even five years later George couldn't quite say the words. "She was almost as much of a wreck as me." He sighed, "Honestly I'm surprised you managed to get her to commit Bill, she's been against ever falling in love or being in a relationship since."

"She waz in love wiz him?" Fleur asked gently.

George nodded, "They, well Fred had a thing for her since the first time she yelled at us for pulling pranks on first years." He had a half smile at the memory, "It wasn't until fifth year, when she saw us setting up a prank against the Toad Umbridge and just smiled, winked at us and turned back around the other way that things started between them." George laughed at the memory, "Fred grabbed my arm and said…" The memory swam before him as he told them about the secret love between his twin and the pretty little bookworm.

_"I think I'm in love Gred."_

_George laughed at him, "Well you have had a crush on her a few years Forge, ever consider asking her out?"_

_"She'd think I was pranking her and hex me."_

_"She's looking pretty fine these days Forge, might be one of these other gits see she's more than a bookworm third of the golden trio, might be Ronikins. Want to watch him paw at her like he does that Lavender chick"_

_Fred gumbled. "Bloody hell Gred."_

_"Just saying." George shrugged._

_They finished the prank and Fred winked at her when they saw her in the common room, making her hide a blush behind the giant tomb she was reading. Or pretending to read as she secretly glanced at him over the top every once in a while, admiring him. She'd had a crush on him since fourth year when he'd found her crying and running up to the common room after Ron had ruined her evening with Viktor. Prior to that she'd had a silly crush on her friend. Fred had grabbed her and when she'd fought him off, not wanting anyone to see her cry he'd pulled her into his arms and held her, rubbing her back gently. In utter contrast his voice had been pure anger, "Who hurt you love?"_

_She sniffled, "No one."_

_"Never seen you cry Mione, not once." He argued._

_"You're brother's a jerk."_

_Fred chuckled, "I know, all us men can be blind gits."_

_She sniffled again and pulled back, wiping her eyes and blushing at the mess she'd made of his shirt, "I'm alright, really Fred."_

_"How is it you always know us apart?"_

_She blushed not wanting to admit how often she'd watched him and then shrugged, "You're different."_

_He shook his head but grinned, "We're identical."_

_"Not completely."_

_"Mum can't always tell us apart."_

_"That's because you purposely act the same but you aren't, you're the more quiet but devious, he's the more boisterous and reckless." She shrugged, "You're just, well two sides of the same coin for sure but still different."_

_"Damn brilliant you are." He grinned at her._

_For once it felt like the compliment it should be and not like she was being made fun of for being smart, "Thanks."_

_"Such a nice night to end on a tear, shall we have a dance?" He held out his hand to her and she laughed. They could just hear the music floating up the staircase. He began to twirl her down the hall towards the common room and when the music faded, he began to sing, making her laugh harder as he spun her around._

_At the portrait hole, he bent in a bow with a dramatic flourish making her giggles continue as she mock curtsied. "Thanks Fred."_

_"Anytime Miss Granger." He winked at her and she hurried up to her room, the night ending as it had begun, with a bright smile on her face._

_A year later and her crush on him had grown. She realized she'd never really cared for Ron romantically, she did love him as a friend, as she loved Harry but he drove her bonkers a lot of the time, she'd just been so jealous of Lavender because she hadn't wanted to lose her close friendship with him. Harry's liking Cho hadn't bothered her the same way only because it hadn't taken him from her and Ron but she figured if he'd run of with her to snog in corridors and all but ignored her, she'd have been equally as jealous and angry with him._

_Hermione sighed and got up to go to the library, she wasn't going to get any studying done sitting there watching Fred._

_"What's got you so melancholy tonight?" Fred, having taken a secret passage to get ahead of her, was leaning against the stone wall as she walked by lost in her own thoughts in the hall by the library._

_"Fred!" She jumped, blushing._

_"No George." He tried, not that it ever worked._

_She rolled her eyes, "What are you doing outside the library FRED?"_

_He chuckled, "Waiting for you."_

_"Why?"_

_"Thought you looked like you could use a dance?" He suggested making her blush again._

_"Dum de da, de dum." He began to sing loudly, swaying as he held out his hand._

_She laughed but took it, dropping her bag on the floor, half afraid he was about to prank her terribly._

_He pulled her against his frame and began to twirl her, making her laugh harder. Peeves flew over their heads, "Crazy Toad Alert!" He shouted floating down the hall, "Crazy Toad Alert." He continued, cackling as he disappeared around a corner. Fred grabbed her bag and her wrist and started running to the secret passage, he led her through it and to another passage hidden within the secret passage that she didn't know about. It was dark in the alcove but a small fountain was lit up magically and had a little bench that Hermione sat on, grinning at Fred._

_"I've never seen this." She gestured to the fountain._

_Fred shrugged, "I don't think anyone knows about it. George and I found it a while back, the wall only lets us through without the password." He frowned, "surprised it let you through, Lee walked right into the stone when he tried to hide with us once."_

_"Well I'm glad you didn't pull me straight into a stone wall."_

_He grinned, "Me too."_

_"So we're safe here?"_

_"Safe as if we were hidden in the ROR. Safer since no one knows about it."_

_"Not even the Marauders." She confirmed._

_"Guess the wall didn't like them as much." Fred shrugged._

_"Riiight." She rolled her eyes._

_Fred grinned at her and winked, when she grinned back he felt his heart squeeze and his pants tighten. "You're so beautiful." Popped out of his mouth without his permission._

_She chuckled and shook her head, "Sure Fred."_

_"You are." He insisted, hating her self-doubt._

_She rolled her eyes, "What prank are you trying to pull?" _

_"No prank." He sighed and sank to the floor, leaning against the wall facing her on the bench and muttered, "I told George you'd think I was pulling something."_

_"What?"_

_He sighed, "I like you ok." He spat. "Go ahead and laugh."_

_She gaped at him, "You're serious." She finally managed to get out._

_He nodded, "Yes."_

_"Since when?"_

_"Since you yelled at me your third year for pranking a first year." He grinned at her, "You're so cute when you yell at us, we've let you catch us testing on firsties a few times."_

_She shook her head at him in shock. "You are a strange boy Fred Weasley."_

_"I know." He chuckled._

_"I like you too." She admitted._

_This shocked the older boy. "Are you making fun of me?" He demanded after a minute, thinking there was no way the brilliant little witch would fall for a prankster like him._

_"No!" She insisted. _

_"Since when?" He asked, hope curling in his belly._

_She blushed, "Since Yule Ball."_

_He grinned, "I am a rather fine dancer."_

_This made her burst into giggles again._

_"Hermione?" He began tentatively._

_"Yes, Fred?"_

_"Would you date me?" She nodded, grinning at him. "Ron wont like it." _

_"No, he wont." She agreed._

_"George and I are leaving school soon." He admitted._

_"What!" He explained everything to her. He knew she didn't like it but she didn't try to talk him out of it either and that surprised him._

_"Fred?" She asked after they'd both fallen silent again._

_"Yeah?"_

_"We could just not tell anyone for a while."_

_"You mean, date in secret?"_

_"Save the issue of Ron and your mum."_

_He grinned at her, "Does that mean I get to sneak you off into corners and snog you but don't have to sit through Madam Puttifoots?"_

_She laughed, "I wouldn't go there anyways."_

_"Not the point my lovely little prefect."_

_"Besides, you haven't snogged me at all."_

_"This is true." He grinned getting up from the wall. She blushed as he pulled her into his arms and proceeded to correct that, now that he was sure she wouldn't hex his bits off._

_They snuck off, with the aide of George, often over the next few weeks, to snog or just talk. He could talk to her as easily as he could George and she even helped with a few ideas for their final bang._

_It was hard to say goodbye as he pulled her into their alcove, "It's today." He told her, holding her tightly._

_"I'll miss you." She sighed._

_"Me too." He admitted, then shifted uneasily._

_"What is it Fred?"_

_"We're still going to be together right? Even though I'm off starting the shop and you're here?"_

_"Of course." She assured him._

_"You wont fall for one of these boring studious Percy type gits here?"_

_"No." She laughed, "I'm more afraid you'll meet someone more exciting than me out of school."_

_"Never." He winked, "You're more devious and adventurous than you let on hiding behind those books."_

_She blushed and leaned up to kiss him, "Fred?"_

_"Hermione?" He nibbled her ear, loving to hear her moan._

_"Make love to me." She breathed._

_He stilled, all the blood rushing to his groin and his mouth going dry, "Are you sure?"_

_She didn't hesitate, "Yes." _

_Fred didn't ask again, "I, well, you should know, I've never," he blushed, "I haven't."_

_"You're a virgin?" She asked surprised. He nodded, blushing more. "Me too."_

_"I just don't want to disappoint you."_

_"You wont." She smiled, "You never do." Then she looked at their feet, "I might disappoint you though. I've never done anything before you."_

_He tilted her chin up and kissed her, "You never disappoint me."_

_Things quickly turned heated as they kissed. He took his time undressing her, exploring her body, they'd fooled around plenty before but every time he touched her bare skin or elicited moans it excited him, thrilled him like it had the first time. He knew it was uncomfortable for her and that he came a little to quick but both of them were satisfied and even more reluctant to part after._

_"I'll see you in the summer yeah?"_

_"Will you visit me?" She asked shyly._

_"Here?" He shook his head, "Not sure it's a good idea love."_

_"At home, over the summer." She clarified._

_He grinned, "As often as you'll let me."_

_He had visited her, meeting her parents and thrilling at getting to be introduced as her boyfriend to them and her muggle friends while the wizarding world didn't know they were even close friends._

_"Does it bother you I haven't told my family."_

_"No and it should be me to tell Ron and Harry when we do."_

_He nodded, "I'm still not sure it's the right time._

_She sighed, "Me neither, that's why it doesn't bother me."_

_It was hard when she went back to Hogwarts but he was able to sneak in to meet her once or twice, with George's help. It amused them to no end they were using the secret passages to sneak in rather than out this time. They didn't doubt Dumbledore knew, he always knew everything but Fred was never stopped so when he could, he went back and they'd meet in their secret spot._

_The hardest thing was having her off with Harry in seventh year. He had been so afraid for her. On the radio he'd send out luck to Harry and those helping him, his sign off was meant for her though and he was sure if she listened she knew. Safety first. She'd always smirked that at him while helping him plot a prank for the Toad or with an invention, making him promise to be careful. It was his way of reminding her he loved her._

_After the battle of Hogwarts, after his death, Hermione couldn't breath, everyone was celebrating and mourning and she couldn't handle it. No one had known how much she'd loved him, no one but George who found her later in the alcove, crying in a heap on the floor._

_George pulled the sobbing witch into his arms, unable to digest the reality his twin was really gone._

_ "No." She protested his hold, pushing against him, "No." She broke into sobs again and met his eyes, "Please, please just be Fred, he has to find me here_

_"He's gone." George felt tears running down his own cheeks._

_"No." She cried and pushed him, hitting his chest. "No, he isn't dead."_

_"He is." George held her and they cried together, clinging to each other as they mourned._

_She avoided looking at him for a long time after that. He didn't blame her; he avoided looking in the mirror for a long time after._

_Fred had been going to ask her to marry him once the war ended. George wasn't sure if he should tell her but after the funeral he gave her the ring. He thought she should have it, that she should know how much his twin had truly loved her._

_She still wore it, as a charm on a bracelet she never took off._

"I don't know the story of each charm, I do know they all mean something important to her." George concluded. He was met with silence around the room. The food was cold now, the gravy congealed, the telling had taken a long time and the sun had finished setting leaving the candle lit room in shadows.

"My poor mon amour, 'ow she must 'ave 'urt." Fleur whispered into the silent room.

George nodded, "We've not gotten real close, think it hurt us both to much, missing him more, sharing this secret, but a couple times over the last five years she's come by the shop" he shrugged, "Been, two years I'd say since the last, but she'd come, hating herself for some fling, missing him. About three years maybe a little more…" he looked at Bill and Fleur "Well hell, I guess that makes more sense now." He shook his head and continued, "About three years ago she came by, upset, thinking she might be falling in love and how bad it was, how scared she was and how Fred might've been upset or doubted that she'd loved him, didn't catch all she was upset about since she didn't want to talk about the bloke," he rolled his eyes at Bill again, "Go figure." Then he snorted. "Anyways, I told her Fred would have wanted her to be happy and move on, to fall in love but she went off saying as how it wouldn't work out forever anyways though she wouldn't explain it much." He shrugged again, "Few months later she came back, had a fling with some bloke in Egypt and was a mess again. I never asked her about the bloke she'd been in love with, figured she'd tossed him and I never asked much, tried just to be there for her. Mostly I think she was talking to Fred anyways." He shrugged again, "That was the last time she came I think." He shook his head again, "No, I suppose she came once since, but she was drunk as a skunk and made no sense, think it was a year ago, she was on about anniversaries and loving who she shouldn't and being a terrible person and well I'm not sure all what else, she passed out real quick." He sighed, "I put her to bed and she was gone in the morning."

No one knew what to say, there had been so much information in one night, all their minds were spinning with it.

They sat back in silence, contemplating the mystery that was Hermione Granger, the brilliant bookworm who they'd all, if not admittedly, thought of as rather boring and predictable when she was anything but.


	10. Chapter 10

"Are you going to go after her?" Harry finally broke the long, stunned silence.

"Oui." Fleur glared at Bill, "And you 'ad better fix it and bring back my wife or you will 'ave no wives!" She stood from the table and nodded to Mrs. Weasley, "I thank you for dinner."

"Fleur?" Bill tried to stop her.

"Non." She hissed at him, "She never gave a reason not to trust 'er. You fix it William Weasley or you don't come 'ome!" She shook her head, "Merde, my poor Mia, so much suffering," she sniffed, "This is why she is always so sad." She picked up Victoire, cuddling the little girl in her arms and a moment later they heard the floo activate.

"Bloody hell." Ron breathed after she left.

"Fuck." Bill spat.

"I think you better go after one of them." Andromeda suggested.

"I'm not so sure going after Hermione right now would be wise." Harry told them, "She can be pretty scary when she's mad and she's pretty mad."

"Hurt." Charlie corrected glaring at his brother, "She's hurt not mad and if I knew you were going to do that, I wouldn't have sent her back to you." He hissed.

"Sent her back to me!" Bill spat. "She was always mine."

"She was always Fred's apparently." Percy muttered.

"Bugger off Perce!" Charlie and Bill shouted both still glaring at each other.

"So you _are_ in love with her then Charlie?" Harry confirmed.

"Of course I am." He spat.

"Just not enough to want to be with her." Bill spat back.

"I've been with her for two years!"

"For a handful of days, playing games and screwing, she's _my_ family, comes home to me and Fleur every day."

"Not everyday. How many times did you send her out to what was it, live her life?"

Bill growled at him, "Fuck you, you have no idea what our relationship is like."

"I had no idea you were the other man, I have every idea what the relationship was like for her. I'm the bloody one that held her while she cried over you!"

"Just like Fleur held her while she cried over you!"

"I've never made her cry."

"Right." Bill snorted. "You sent her running to America!"

"I did! I sent her running!" Both men were standing now, facing each other as they shouted, "I offered her what you didn't want from her!"

"I wanted everything she was willing to give!"

"Ever try asking if she wanted fidelity!"

"Did you!"

"Every fucking time I was with her!"

Magic was rippling out of them as they glared at each other. "She chose me." Bill finally added, his voice low and his smirk dark.

"I told her to choose you." Charlie smirked back.

"You also told me you didn't want her." Bill argued, his heart beating to fast as he considered that maybe he was her second choice… maybe her third, George had said she'd loved Fred, was he a pale shadow of his younger brother for her?

"I told you I wouldn't marry her, I _never_ said I didn't want her. I'm fucking in love with her. I don't want to give up my life and I don't want her to give up hers so we can make it work full time, doesn't mean I wouldn't be willing to find a damn way."

"Then why?"

Charlie shrugged, "At this point, I have no fucking clue and it's not a mistake I'd make again."

"You think you can steal her from me?"

"She isn't yours!"

"She's been mine for three years!"

"She's been mine for two of them!"

The magic was pulsing out of the brothers.

"YOU TWO ARE IDIOTS!" Ginny shouted, sending curses to both of them, a personal creation of hers that made them silent and stuck to their spots. "FIGHTING OVER HER LIKE SHE'S YOUR FAVORITE TOY! SHE DOESN'T BELONG TO EITHER OF YOU! BLOODY HELL, I WOULDN'T EXPECT SUCH BEHAVIOUR FROM RONALD LET ALONE YOU!"

"Hey." Ron protested weakly but at his sister's angry glare he shut up, no way did he want any of her anger focused on him, she was bloody terrifying.

"I DON'T KNOW WHAT THE HELL HAS BEEN GOING ON THE LAST THREE YEARS," she sighed, "apparently the last, like seven." She shook away the sadness that her friend had never told her about Fred and refocused on her brothers, "You!" She pointed at Bill, "You say you want to marry her? And you!" She pointed at Charlie, "I don't even know what it is you are after besides shagging her but obviously you love her. _Obviously_ you _both_ love her. So _maybe_ instead of fighting over her like a couple of _neandrethals_ you might want to think about what all this is doing to her! And for Merlin's sake you're _brothers_ stop looking at each other as though the other is Voldemort! If this is going to tear you apart then _neither_ of you should be with her and just let her get _over_ you gits, which is probably _why_ she went ALL THE WAY TO AMERICA FOR THREE BLOODY MONTHS IN THE FIRST PLACE!" Ginny spun on Harry "And you! I can't believe you kept this all from me!"

"Gin…" Harry started.

"NO! I am taking James and going home and you had better come with me because if I find out you have any more part in this mess, besides comforting Hermione if _she _comes to us, Harry James Potter, _you_ will be sleeping _alone_ for a _very _long time!"

"Yes, Gin." He got up from the table and gave the Weasley's a look before giving Mrs. Weasley a weak smile, "Thanks for dinner."

"Thank you Mum." Gin huffed, storming to the sitting room where she'd left the baby to sleep.

Silence fell after their departure, no one moving and both Bill and Charlie still frozen and voiceless.

Percy cleared his throat, "I guess, Penny and I will be going now too. Thanks for supper mum."

"Thank you Mrs. Weasley." Penelope politely muttered, standing with him.

"Whiskey Molly?" Andromeda asked.

"All around I'd think." Mr. Weasley nodded getting up and grabbing two bottles. "You go on home Ron."

"But…"

"Now." His father ordered softly. Ron nodded at his father's stern request, not arguing as he would have with his mum and made his way to the floo.

"Guess I ought to go as well." George suggested.

"Sit." His father ordered in the same soft voice he'd told Ron to leave in.

"Right then." George sat back down.

Mr. Weasley put the bottles on the table as the glasses floated themselves over.

Bill and Charlie became unstuck and sank into their chairs again with identical sighs.

had yet to speak a word, silently drinking down the glass her husband set in front of her. He downed his own and the others followed suit so he could refill them all.

"Shall I leave you all to this?"

"If you wouldn't mind to stay." Arthur shook his head, "Might be good to have an outside opinion so to speak."

"Alright." Andromeda nodded, sipping the second glass he'd poured her.

"Opinion?" Molly finally spoke.

"Yes." Arthur nodded. "First I want to know exactly what the hell has been going on." He held up his hand, "So let me get it all straight, Fred and Hermione dated, for almost two years, between her fifth and…" he swallowed, "the final battle." George nodded, "They were in love." Again George nodded. "They never told anyone."

"First it was about Ron, then the war. I guess it was just never the right time." George supplied.

His father nodded again, "For the next three years…"

"No." George interrupted shaking his head, "Mione was a wreck that first year, she threw herself into rebuilding and finishing school and working but when she wasn't busy…" he sighed, "She'd sit, staring out a window, not moving or speaking, not even reading, she'd cry a lot and had terrible nightmares. From the war, being tortured and Fred."

"How do you know all this?"

He shrugged, "I once promised Fred… if anything…" he swallowed, "I'd take care of her." He shrugged, "I hired a house elf, he made sure she ate, checked on her." George shrugged. "At first I was sure she'd sent him back, get angry but she didn't react at all when I first brought him in. I'm not even sure she really knew he was there. Me either really."

"She got better after a year?"

George shook his head, "I yelled at her." He blushed, "It was a year since…" he licked his lips, "I yelled at her and she cried but she started to live again. It was a few weeks later she came to the shop, she'd had a one-night stand and was, well a right mess really, she always was. She went through a few stages over the next two years; angry she'd have a fling, depressed she'd try to date, in between she'd throw herself into work until she was driving herself into the ground. It got better over time and she seemed, almost happy I guess." He shrugged again, "Until she fell in love, I'm not sure exactly when it was but I'd say three years ago now, maybe a little over."

Mr. Weasley drank a little more and refilled his wife's empty glass, "That's when she took up with you." He nodded to Bill.

Bill nodded, "Three and a half years ago." He confirmed. "It was about a month after she and I started working together. I was… drawn to her. I was always," he shrugged, "I'm not sure how to explain it, I always thought her beautiful and brilliant, a genuinely lovely girl but I never thought of her… well as a woman, until we started working together. I told Fleur of course. Immediately. I'd never do anything behind my wife's back and honestly I didn't think anything would come of it. I was just… drawn to her." He sighed, "I invited her over for dinner." He smiled at the memory, "Fleur was the one who kissed her, she'd told me once that she'd always seen Hermione as a woman, beautiful and brilliant but also, special, that's the word she used, she didn't explain more. Then, after dinner, I put Victoire down while they were cleaning and when I came back, they were kissing." He snorted softly, "Things went from there."

"You began a… an intimate relationship."

Bill nodded, "We talked about it, Fleur and I as well as Mia and I, I'm sure they did as well, they talk about everything. From the beginning it was more than just… she was part of us, Fleur and I, and we both came to love her so quickly, to need her."

"So why was she still dating?" Andromeda asked gently.

Bill shrugged, "Hermione was…" he sighed, "At first she wouldn't accept that it was more than a fling, a phase Fleur and I were in."

"As time went on?"

"I think she was afraid of loving us to much." Bill admitted, "And I never wanted to push her for more than she was willing to give us."

"So you knew she was with Charlie?"

"No." He ran his hand through his hair, "I never asked her for details, I knew that when she wasn't with us and later when she was all but living with us that when she left us, sometimes there were others, I'd tease her about it, sometimes jealousy would eat at me but she always came home to us, we knew, we thought we knew that they didn't mean anything because she loved us and when she was ready, when all of us were ready for it, we'd be together, exclusively."

"I knew about them all, except Fred and while I knew about him, I never knew it was Bill she was with."

"She told you…"

Charlie nodded, "I wanted to know. Needed to know, who else had touched her. I always told her if I'd been with someone else too."

"So she started a casual relationship with you and Fleur." Mr. Weasley got them on track, "A year later she and you began one?" He asked Charlie.

Charlie shook his head; "A year later she and I ran into each other in muggle London. I'd been on the town with a muggle born friend, fellow tamer, and she was out dancing at the same place. We ended up in bed together. In the morning she kissed me, told me it was best no one found out about it and left."

"So how did it begin?" Andromeda asked.

Charlie shrugged, "Ran into her a second time, a few weeks later at a ministry event. It was the same in the morning. After the third encounter, one where we were both sober, we lay talking for a long time and I asked her to come up to the reserve. She told me she was with someone. I asked her about it and she told me she loved him but it could only be casual, nothing to tie them. I asked her if that was what she wanted from me and she said she'd take it if I was offering, if not, she'd be happy with what we'd already shared. I re-invited her to visit. She came a couple of times and I met her, in London once or twice but usually somewhere else, we'd go spend a few days together, talking about anything that came to mind, hopes, dreams, fears, she was easy to talk to, easy to fall in love with. We were happy, I know it was odd but it worked for us. I wished it would be like that forever. Hell, I'd have stopped sleeping with other witches even if we didn't spend every day together; I barely do now, or barely did the last year we were together. Took out the loss of her on a right number of witches I suppose, not that it worked her out of my heart." He admitted, forgetting for a moment who it was he was talking to.

"So she left you." Mr. Weasley clarified.

"She left us both." Bill answered.

"Why?" Andromeda asked.

Bill sighed, "Fleur and I, wanted, needed more."

"You wanted her to leave me." Charlie clarified.

"Yes." He agreed on a hiss, "I didn't want to lose her to you!"

"How did you find out?" George asked, looking from one angry brother to the other.

"She told me."

"I asked her to."

"What?"

Charlie nodded, "I didn't know you were the other man at the time."

"Why?"

"She never told me who you were."

"No, why did you ask her to?"

"Two years Bill, when do you ever remember me holding a relationship for two years, or even shagging one bird close to that?"

"Never. Why the hell do you think I was afraid to lose her to you."

"Well," he shrugged, "I wanted someone to know, to make it more real. We talked about ending it but then we saw each other again. She knew it meant a lot to me, to tell someone. You told her yourself, mum would see wedding bells, which neither of us wanted and Ron would throw a shit fit. Gin wouldn't keep her mouth shut, she'd be too damn excited to make Mia family like mum, Harry would have told Gin, George she suggested but seemed hesitant I would guess _now_ because of Fred. Her preference was either George or Harry but mine was you. You're my damn best friend; I wanted it to be you. She said she supposed it really ought to be, that you needed to know. I didn't think about why you would need to more than anyone else until I found out you were the other one in her life."

"So you're both in love with her." Andromeda broke into the argument.

"Yes." They both answered at once.

"You wanted things to change, you wanted more of her." It was part demand and part question.

"I wanted to know I wasn't going to lose her, to know what we had was real. If things could have stayed the way they were forever I'd have been happy."

"You didn't care she was in love with Fleur and I?"

"Not as long as I had her. We gave each other as much as we could and it was all we needed. I never wanted more, a wife, kids, a safe boring job in London to support them. I love my life and I loved what we did share. I was willing to give her more if she needed it but she didn't want more, neither of us did."

"Then why did she leave you?" George stepped in again.

Charlie shrugged, "I stopped her outside the Burrow one night to talk, she was upset. I told her I'd give her more but she said she didn't want it, didn't want things to change, I told her they didn't have to and she said she was afraid they already had. I guessed it was the other man."

"Is that when she told you it was Bill?"

"That I didn't learn until she got back from America." He sighed, "She left a few days after that conversation though. Without so much as a goodbye." He ran a hand through his hair, "Part of me thought it meant she'd be back." He growled, "I tried to tell myself I hadn't lost her but knew it was a lie and it was because of whatever bastard had the other half of her heart."

"She came to Shell Cottage that night." Bill told him, jaw clenched tight, "I asked her to leave you and she told me she was in love with you. I needed air and when I came back she was gone. Called in sick a few days, or so I heard when I went back three days later, the moon was hell for me that month and I was a fucking mess, when I got to my office I was met by some kid saying he was my new partner and when I went to find her I was told she'd already fucking left."

"So she went to America for three months." George concluded.

"Until Harry went to get her back." Andromeda added.

"Harry?" Mr. Weasley questioned.

Andromeda nodded, "He came to me, terribly upset and asked if I'd keep Teddy for the weekend, I assumed it was because the baby was overwhelming a little being a new family but when I asked if there was more I could do he said no, except maybe check in on Ginny and James while he was gone. When I asked him he said Hermione needed him and he was going to bring her home. I was worried about her but he told me he didn't know what was wrong but it was bad enough to keep her from meeting her godson for months and he was going to find out what it was, possibly kill whoever did it and bring her home. A few days later he got back, picked up Teddy and told me not to worry it would be fine and he hadn't had to kill anyone yet." She smiled a little, "He was muttering that it was to early to tell if he might still need to or at least to hex them all but he smiled at me over Teddy and said she was home now and thanks for my help."

Mr. Weasley nodded and used his wand to refill all of their glasses, Mrs. Weasley on her third full tumbler shot it down and motioned to him for a fourth, he obliged after a moments hesitation that was met by her glare.

"So" she finally spoke after taking a smaller sip of the fourth glass, "You two" she pointed between her two sons, "I don't know if I should be angry with her for playing the hearts of my two sons or with both of you for taking advantage of my almost daughter."

"Mum." They both began in placating voices.

"Be quiet!" She hissed. She glared at them a moment to make sure they weren't about to speak. "As far as I can tell, Ginerva is right and both of you are idiots, all three of you in fact. Carrying on with all this non-sense." She glared at Bill, "You love a woman you marry her, you both of you love a second woman, you don't bring her in your bed and send her dallying about then get upset about it. You damn well marry the girl!" She turned on Charlie, "And you!" She huffed, "I'd say the same, you love a woman you marry her not shag her and go on about your life but" she shrugged, "I've given up on you doing anything _I_ wanted for you so you'll get married or you wont but you had better have learned from this that if you love a woman and even you Mr. Don't Need Anybody, can fall in love, want to or not, so if you love a woman you damn well don't just _let_ her go without a fight let alone a word of protest." She drank back the other glass, "Bloody hell, it's you two I thought I had to worry about the least but no, my baby Ginerva is, she sensible and married with a baby and knows whats what! Merlin forbid Ronald has been less of a worry with his constant stream of girlfriends and low and behold my most troublesome two, my twins, have more a head on their shoulders! George with Angelina here and Fred with Hermione." She sniffed and looked sadly at George, "He should have told us, we'd have been so happy for them."

"I know mum. They were just waiting for it to be over."

She nodded, "You should have told us. What that poor girl suffered alone."

"I looked after her mum."

"You were barely looking after yourself George Weasley and a house elf isn't a mother! That poor child lost her parents and the boy she loved in less than a month which was the grand final of a year of suffering, fear and pain which included torture!" Molly shook her head and poured another glass, shooting it back. She turned back to Bill and Charlie, "You boys, I love you, all my children more than anything but that includes more than those babies I gave birth to. All three of you need to get your heads on right and sort this mess out and I don't care how. Ginerva had the right of it, you either let that girl go, let her move on and fall in love with a good man who will love her right, like your poor lost brother would have. You do his memory right and do what's best for her, for all of you and not just think about what you yourself wants out of her. She has to either decide to move on or make it work just like you both do and you had all better decide quick because I will not sit about while you two tear each other and that girl apart."

"I tried to back off and all he did was hurt her, in less than a week!" Charlie growled, "I'm not backing off again. I might not want the traditional life but I'll damn well give her all she needs and not hurt her."

"She doesn't want that life with you but she does want it."

"Does she or is it what you and Fleur want?"

"You think she'd rather shag you once every few weeks and be alone the rest of the year?" Bill growled.

"We shared a whole hell of a lot more than a shag and I have always and will always be wherever she needs me, whenever she needs me for whatever she needs!"

"We were what she needed, where she spent her days and nights she wasn't with you."

"She still came back to me though didn't she, still rang me up more than half the time we met. So obviously you weren't giving her all she needed."

"You think you were? Is that why she came back to me, to us, every time!"

"ENOUGH!" Mrs. Weasley shouted silencing them both. She downed yet another of the glasses.

"Merlin, why don't the two of you just share her and be done with it." George muttered.

"George!" Angelina smacked him.

"Not a bad idea really." Andromeda piped up.

Mrs. Weasley drank another shot.

"Andromeda?" Mr. Weasley asked her.

She shrugged, "Far as my understanding, Bill only asked her to leave Charlie because he was afraid one day she'd not come back to him and Charlie wasn't about to ask her to breakup with the other man she was with before he found out it was Bill. Obviously it's something in both relationships makes her happy, they all love each other." She shrugged, "Just makes sense if they all wanted things to stay the same that the only thing has to be different about it is they all and well, we all, know."

"You want the two of them, to share long-term committed relationships with the same girl?"

"Three." Angelina corrected. "Bill and Fleur and Charlie."

"So Bill and Fleur together, Fleur and Hermione, Bill and Hermione, Charlie and Hermione. That's what's being seriously suggested?" George clarified. "Bill, Fleur and Hermione in one relationship and Charlie and Hermione in a second." He snorted, "Are they going to split holidays and birthdays too?" Angelina smacked him.

"I think you boys need to think about what you want, what she wants and what's right for all of you and then like your mother said, you let her go, she'll either move on or make the choice that's right for her but fighting over her is only going to make it worse," he sighed, "In your sisters words, she's not a damn toy." Mr. Weasley spoke up.

"I agree with Andy." Mrs. Weasley piped up shocking them all.

"You're drunk mum." George gasped.

"Completely blitz dear but it's besides the point. I want all my children happily married with children, Bill is and it's not enough, Charlie never will be, Hermione makes them both happy and supposedly they have the _ability_ to make her happy, though _clearly_ all I've evidence of is her _unhappiness_ being as she is my almost daughter and every bit as much loved as my biological children. So if they're all happy together," she waved her hands at both men, "Go _be_ happy. We've all suffered enough days of _unhappiness_, sorrow and, and _restriction_ so screw it all, go be free, be happy, have a triad marriage, continue a long-term affair with your brothers wife, get matching tattoos, just _fix_ what's broken in this family between the three of you."

Everyone sat in stunned silence until George stage whispered to his father, "I can't tell if she's being sarcastic."

"You know son," he shook his head and downed his glass, "I don't think she is." He poured another and drank it as well, "And you know, I might agree." He slammed the glass down and stood up, "Let's go to bed Molly."

She teetered to her feet, wobbling and the two of them disappeared.

"Blimey." George shook his head, "I've never seen mum blotto before."

"I have." Bill nodded, "After Fred…"

"After we heard about what happened to Mia by Bellatrix." Andromeda sighed.

"After the wedding when the three of them disappeared to go on the hunt." Charlie added in.

"Always after something so bad?" Angelina asked.

"Only then." Andromeda agreed softly.

"Happy occasions she'll have a few." Charlie supplied.

"Nothing like that though." Bill nodded to the two empty bottles. One of which they'd shared, almost the entire other had been downed by their parents and most of that, their mother.

"Come on Angie, let's go." George stood up and then turned back to his brothers, "Fred would have been glad to know one… or both of you… was taking care of her. After all she's been through she deserves to be happy, but as much as she loves you, both of you, I'm not so sure she has been. Maybe you should think about that." On that note the two of them left.

"I'll just clean this all up for Molly, you boys should be off." Andromeda ushered the last two men out the back door as the floo flared signaling George and Angelina's departure.


	11. Chapter 11

Bill and Charlie stood on the front porch, both in shock and unsure what to do.

"Need a place to sleep tonight?" Charlie offered, running his hand through his hair.

Bill nodded, "Fleur can be terrifying when she's angry."

"Mia too."

"Even more than Fleur." Bill agreed.

"More than mum, maybe." Charlie added.

"Not sure about Gin though." Bill told him unable to suppress a grin.

"Our sister is pretty damn terrifying." Charlie agreed with a chuckle.

They fell silent, walking side by side to the apparition point.

"I can rent a room at the Leaky." Bill said when they'd finally passed through the wards.

"Let's both do." Charlie suggested, "I could use another drink."

"Or ten." Bill agreed.

Without further talk or thought, they both apparated to the Leaky Cauldron.

"Got a couple rooms Tom?" Bill asked.

The bar keep handed over two keys and nodded to the stairs, "207 has two beds."

"How about a bottle of fire whiskey?" Charlie nodded to the bottles.

"Maybe two." Bill suggested as Tom turned to grab the bottle.

"Rough night?" He asked handing them over as well.

"Understatement." They both responded with shaking heads.

Tom chuckled and shook his head as well, "Won't bother with giving you glasses then. Just go on up, judging by the looks of you, ya might feel better after a good brawl and I'd rather avoid it happening in my bar." They looked at each other and then him, "Fix it if you break it!" He called after them and at that moment no truer words had been spoken to either man.

"You feel like fighting?" Bill asked his younger brother as they shoved into the room.

"You?"

"Percy." Bill responded sarcastically.

Charlie shrugged, "Wouldn't be much of a fight but I have wanted to hit him a few times.

Bill chuckled and nodded, "Alright, me then."

"Wanted to hit you a fair few times too." Charlie sighed sitting on one of the beds, "Most of those just in the last damn week." He used his wand to open the bottle and took a swig. "You want to fight me?"

"Get my ass kicked by my baby brother? Not really." They shared a small smile, physically Charlie was stronger, magically Bill had the slightest upper hand. Bill sighed then and shook his head, "Wanted to hex you a fair few times since I found out though."

"I'd bet." Charlie chuckled nodding.

Bill magically opened the other bottle and moved to sit on the bed opposite. "You really love her."

Charlie shrugged, "As much as I imagine you and Fleur do."

"What do we do?"

"Fuck if I know."

"I hate fighting with you." Bill admitted.

"I missed you the last few months." Charlie admitted in return, "I lost her and you were so distant."

"I'm sorry Charlie."

The younger man shrugged, "I get it now. You lost her too."

Bill nodded and groaned, running his hand over his face "Are you considering what they said?"

"Andromeda and Mum or Dad and Fred?" Charlie clarified.

"All of them."

"Are you?"

"Yes."

"You think you'd be able to share her?" Charlie asked in disbelief.

"I share her with Fleur."

"That's hardly the same thing."

"I…" He sighed, "I didn't mind, knowing when she had, knowing that she would when she left me. She'd come back and I'd know if she had, without asking and it, I was jealous yes but it was almost… good… for us. I'd have this… need… to claim her and then I would and everything would be good."

"I never much minded knowing she had another man." Charlie shrugged, "I knew I gave her something he… you… couldn't."

"What?"

"I don't know." Charlie admitted," "Whatever it was though, someone to listen, to screw, to love or hate, someone to be someone else with, all of that and more, I don't know, but I knew she only got that with me and everything she couldn't get from me, she got from you so it…"

"Worked." Bill supplied.

"For us." Charlie agreed.

"Maybe not for her." Bill chugged more of the liquid.

Charlie nodded and followed suit.

"So even if we agreed… to…"

"Share her."

Charlie nodded, "She might not want either of us."

"Or we might just not be enough." Bill hated the thought more than he had hated anything in his life.

"Because we aren't Fred." Charlie admitted the fear churning in his gut.

Both men nodded and drank more.

In the morning they both woke up hurting. Thankfully Tom had sent a house elf to leave potion for them both and they downed the liquid.

They sat in mirrored positions, feet on the floor, elbows on their knees and head in their hands, groaning and waiting for the potion to take effect.

When his head finally stopped spinning, not looking up or moving Charlie spoke, "Do we let her go, tell her to move on?"

"Can you? Without trying?" Bill asked back, looking up at his brother.

"Without it slowly killing me?"

"Then it isn't an option."

"So we try to make her choose?"

"We, I, tried that and she left us both."

"We're back to sharing her then."

"Think she'll hex us for suggesting it?"

"Would you be more scared of telling Fleur she was gone or telling Mia we want to share?"

"Do you want to share her with me?"

"I want back what I had with her."

"Knowing she'll come home to me."

"That she's safe, loved and happy you mean?" Charlie nodded, "Do you want to share her with me?"

"I want back what I had with her too."

"Knowing she'll come to me?"

"Knowing she has someone to go to that loves her and can make her happy and gives her… freedom."

"Doesn't really answer the question though does it?" Charlie mused after a moment.

"Not for either of us." Bill agreed. "I can share her with you."

"So can I. In theory." He clarified.

"In theory, yes." Bill agreed with the addition, "We'd have to work things out over time."

"Like you had to with her and Fleur."

"Yes."

"Is it what you want?"

"I don't know."

"It's the only way it will work though, isn't it, if its what we all want."

"Yes."

"Now what?"

"We find out what she does want."

"I can't get George out of my head." Charlie admitted.

"Saying she hadn't been happy." Bill whispered back as though afraid saying the words might make them true. Charlie nodded. "Me either." Bill admitted.

"What if she decides to walk away?" That seemed almost painful for Charlie to ask and it was painful for Bill to hear.

Almost as painful as his answer was to give, "We let her go."

Silently the two men got up and magically straightened their clothes before exiting the room, having passed out fully clothed and wearing their shoes, they trudged downstairs, paid Tom, silently ate breakfast and then sat, Bill playing absently with his spoon and Charlie pulling at a lose thread in his jeans.

"Where do we look for her?" Bill finally asked his brother.

"Where would you, if she were upset?"

"Shell Cottage, her flat, Harry's."

"She wouldn't go to your house."

Bill shrugged, "She'd go to Fleur, or would have before."

"Not over this."

"No, you're right."

"Not to Harry and Gin either."

"So her flat?"

"Could be, but I have access through all her wards."

"So do Fleur and I."

"She could have set up new ones."

"I" Bill sighed, "Damn it, I'd say if there was something, if she needed to get away she would and if it was something haunting her, that she wouldn't talk to Fleur or me about then she'd take off for a few days, get it out of her system at least I used to think that, now I'd have said she went to you."

"Except I'm with you and she's as pissed at me."

"So where would you have looked for her?"

"I've never had to." Charlie shrugged. "I would have guessed at the Burrow, with Harry or…"

"What?"

"George said she went to him when she was…"

"Let's go." Bill agreed.

The apparated to their brothers flat above the joke shop and knocked on the door, butterflies in both their stomachs as each thought maybe they should have prepared what to say to her.

"She isn't here." George insisted.

"Just let us in for a minute George." Charlie half begged, "If she tells us to go after we've talked to her, we will."

"She isn't here." His brother repeated.

"Damn it George, let us see her." Bill growled.

George threw open is door, "She isn't fucking here!"

Both men followed behind George as he went to his kitchen to make tea.

"George?" A sleepy female voice called.

"Go back to sleep Angie, it's just my brothers." He called down the hall.

"Sorry mate."

George just grumbled at them, "I need a damn hangover potion." He dropped the kettle on the stove and went to the bathroom medicine cabinet for a dose.

Both of his brothers were sitting at the table drinking tea when he returned, they'd made him a cup as well.

"Thanks." He sighed into it.

"We were sure she'd be here." Bill sighed.

"She isn't."

"Any idea where else she'd go?"

"After something like this?" George asked incredulous and then shook his head, "Not to anyone in our family, which also knocks out Harry. Her parents were her only family and they both died, not even remembering they had a daughter."

"What?" Charlie stilled.

"She obliviated them before taking off with Harry and Ron, thought it would protect them, even put in an idea to move to Australia." George shook his head, "Was to late though, they were killed in an attack on an airport."

"Who else does she have?" Bill asked quietly.

"No one mate." George confirmed sadly, "Just us lot, Harry and a small handful of friends she's not close with. Doubt she'd go to them but you could try, Luna Lovegood, Neville Longbottom, Viktor Krum, Padma Patil, Verity Sanders who works for me or a girl she worked with a couple years back Astoria Greengrass… she's Malfoy now actually but they got on well enough, both lost to much in the war."

"Where do we start?" Charlie asked.

George shrugged, "Krum's pretty far, Verity would have owled me, at least I think she would, Astoria is a Malfoy now, could try Luna."

Both men nodded, "Thanks George." Tea barely drunk the two men, left immediately.


	12. Chapter 12

She wasn't with Luna Lovegood, or Neville Longbottom, nor either Patil twin or Verity. They flooed to Bulgaria with dwindling hope but the Quidditch star was on his honeymoon and she wasn't at his home though Mr. and Mrs. Krum wished the two haggard and sad looking brothers luck in finding her. They were half tempted to track him down but knew she wouldn't have followed him on his honeymoon. The Malfoy estate was their last stop and the place they thought her least likely to be but crossed their fingers in hope.

They were led to a parlor where Malfoy and his wife met them.

He laughed when he heard why they were there, "Hermione Granger wouldn't step foot in this house if dementors were chasing her!"

Bill and Charlie glared at him and Astoria placed a hand on his arm, smiling kindly at them, "Forgive him." She fought a smile as she looked at him and then turned back to them, her expression again sad, "He's right though, it's why she declined my invitation to our wedding, we understood. She sent me a note saying she was back from America and we'd have lunch next week. I'm afraid that was the last I spoke with her."

"What?" Bill demanded seeing the ferret shift.

Malfoy's expression became a mask, "She isn't here and if she ever came, or needed a place to hide, I wouldn't tell you Weasels, now please leave."

"Draco!" Astoria admonished.

Bill and Charlie glared at him, "Listen up ferret, if I find you've done something to her." Charlie growled.

"Did you screw her?" Bill asked coldly.

"No." Charlie answered for him.

"Then what are you hiding?"

"Bite me."

"I'd rather hex you."

"Enough!" Astoria demanded. Her voice had barely raised but it was commanding and they all fell silent.

"I take it you two did something to hurt her?"

"We're trying to make it right." Charlie confirmed.

"Do you know where she is Draco?"

"No."

"You've spoken to her though." Bill insisted.

"I owe her my life."

"Where is she?" Charlie demanded this time.

"Now?" Draco shook his head, "I've no idea."

"Draco?" Astoria asked.

"I let her spend the night in a property I own, the flat I lived in before we got married and moved into the manor."

"Where is it?"

"She isn't there now."

"How do you know?"

"She sent a thank you note this morning."

"Let me see it." Bill growled.

Draco rolled his eyes and accio's it from his desk.

_Malfoy,_

_Thank you for putting me up last night. I really couldn't stand to be found and I knew you were the last person anyone would ask about me. I've tidied up after myself and locked up, Astoria will know how to remove the ward I placed to be sure your flat was secured. Give her my love and my apologies as I'm not certain I'll make lunch next week after all as I'm leaving town this morning to visit an old friend whose advise I find I am in need of. I will make it up to her on my return._

_As strange as it still is to wish you well, or say this… Take care and until we see each other again be well._

_All my gratitude and love to you both (mostly Story but I suppose I might like you well enough to say you as well Malfoy… Draco :P we are friends after all.)_

_Hermione J Granger._

Bill and Charlie both had to read it twice to believe their eyes.

"You're friends with her?" Charlie still spat in disbelief.

"Isn't that why you came?" Astoria asked confused.

"You, yes but not him." Bill clarified.

"Well, we are, so get over it." Malfoy smirked at him.

"Gentlemen." Astoria smiled at them, heading off an argument, "I'm afraid, there is little more we can tell you."

"You wouldn't happen to know what old friend she was talking about?"

Astoria shrugged, "Are any of your family away? Or perhaps Viktor Krum? Though what advice she'd need from him I can't imagine."

"He's on his honeymoon and the whole family is in town." Charlie sighed. "You were our last hope."

Malfoy snorted, "She did say I would be the last person anyone came to about her."

"Wonder why." Charlie growled.

"Secret friends have their uses." He countered making both brothers chuckle, who knew the ferret could be funny?

"We'll be going, please Mrs. Malfoy" Bill began.

"Astoria, or Story, please." She cut him off gently.

"Astoria," He conceded, "If you do hear from her…"

"Not a chance in hell Weasel." Malfoy told him, no malice in his tone. When they both turned to him he shrugged, "Like I said, I owe her my life, besides my wife loves her and our friendship is still rocky, I'd rather not tip the boat by playing with her trust and giving her away when she doesn't want to be found."

Bill and Charlie nodded grimly, neither of them liked it but they could respect that. "Thank you for your help, small as it is, it's more than we've gotten all day."

On unspoken agreement they returned to their younger brothers flat, "She isn't here." He told them on an exasperated sigh as he opened the door.

"She's out of town." Charlie told him pushing past and going to sit at the table.

"Malfoy put her up in a flat he owns last night and she left this morning."

"Note said she went to see a friend for advice."

"Anymore ideas?"

"Try Krum, he's…"

"We tried him before Malfoy." Charlie grumbled.

"He's on his honeymoon." Bill supplied.

"Did you try Professor McGonagall?" Angelina asked, setting a pot on the stove for tea.

"What?" Bill frowned.

"She was Hermione's mentor through school and was the one that helped her with arrangements regarding her parents deaths."

"Brilliant." George grinned at her. Then a thought occurred to him and his smile fell, he swallowed and sat down heavily.

"What?" Both his brothers demanded.

"George?" Angelina asked gently.

He looked up at his brothers, "Could be one of the family." They frowned at him. "Could be Fred." He whispered. "If she's going to Hogwarts, to see McGonagall, it's as like she's gone to him, to their place." He licked his lips, "She told me once, the last time she was sure of anything, the last time she knew anything about anything, even herself, it was there, the few stolen moments before the final battle when he held her and made her promise to be careful, telling her he loved her. After that…" He sighed, "I think she'd slowly been losing pieces of her self over the war but after that battle, after thinking she lost Harry, even just for a minute, losing all the people she cared about, losing Fred, I think maybe she lost herself and hasn't quiet found, let alone put all the pieces back together. Me, at least I have all the pieces of my half, I know I'm missing him but I'm healing. I'm not sure she is. I'm not so sure she that she's accepted it all enough to heal or that she's forgiven herself enough to."

"Forgiven herself?" Angelina asked her hand on his shoulder.

His shrugged, "She carried a lot of guilt, like Harry that way, everything weighs on her and she tries to be everything to those she loves all the time, I think its one more reason she's scared to love, because she already has so little left for herself, so little left of herself, there just isn't much else to give away." George shook his head, "I miss him, every damn day, I feel like part of me died too, he's my twin, part of me did but he took part of her too, all of them did and all of us keep doing it. Even me. She's the only one I could talk to about him, not that others didn't want to listen but I couldn't, I couldn't share him with anyone but her." Angelina sat in his lap, curling against him and holding him to her as a tear escaped his control.

Silently his older brothers left them, wishing they could comfort him, missing their lost brother and aching to comfort the woman they both loved. On another silent agreement they returned to the Leaky Cauldren and got the key back along with more fire whiskey.

Upstairs they sat back on the same beds, magicked open the bottles and took long drinks before finally sighing.

"I miss him."

"Always."

"I knew she was hurting, I'd see it in her eyes sometimes."

"I know." Bill agreed, "We did too, we just tried to…"

"Be there for her." Charlie finished.

"Hogwarts in the morning?"

"Well I'm not about to give up on her, even if she doesn't want me in the end, she needs me, us."

"Agreed."

They sat back on their beds and drank, sharing stories of their brother and of Mia.

Again they woke up with hangovers, silently thanking the saint that was Tom for leaving the potion again.

Returning the key they tipped him well and went to make arrangements to get to Hogwarts.

Anxious on the train Bill was shaking his leg, willing the speeding machine to move faster and watching out the window. Charlie was sprawled in the seat, slouched back with legs planted wide.

"What are we going to say to her?" He finally asked his older brother.

"Hell if I know but I'm the one owes her an apology."

"A week!" Charlie growled.

"I know."

"How the hell did you manage to keep her for three years?"

"I didn't _try_ to keep her."

Charlie sighed, "Neither of us did."


	13. Chapter 13

She wasn't at Hogwarts or in Hogsmeade.

Both men were feeling defeated as they spent their third night drinking together, this time at the Hogshead.

It was late afternoon when they got back to London and stopped in to see George. He informed them he hadn't seen her but suggested maybe she was where they wouldn't expect like with Molly or Harry.

Both men thought it was worth a shot, it was their last shot but both places proved empty yet again.

Ginny had admonished them and told Harry to let them sort out their own mess but before he'd closed the door on them he whispered something they hadn't thought of, "She is a muggle born you know. She did have one or two friends from her per-Hogwarts says." He also informed them of two other important facts, Molly was still unhappy with all of them and Hermione wasn't at the burrow.

Both men finally admitted defeat.

"Come spend the night at Shell Cottage, you can head back to the reserve in the morning."

"Afraid your wife might hex you?"

"That she might hex us both but I have to face her eventually, are you coming?"

Charlie nodded and the two men apparated to Shell cottage.

"Daddy!" Victoire called jumping up when she saw him.

"Bill." Fleur looked over and smiled, "Charlie." She greeted them before moving to kiss her husband.

"I didn't find her." Bill admitted with a sigh.

"Find who?"

At the voice both men's jaws dropped as they turned to look at the woman they'd been searching Europe for.

"Bill? Charlie?" She questioned after a moment.

"You." Charlie breathed.

"You've been here?" Bill growled.

Hermione shrugged, "I got home last night."

"Last night?" He frowned.

Hermione nodded picking up Victoire, "Daddy and Uncle Charlie are silly." She tickled Victoire, "Come on, let's get you to bed."

"No."

"Yup." Hermione nodded.

"Five minutes."

"Nope."

"Three minutes?"

"Nope."

"Two minutes?"

"Thirty seconds." Hermione bargained.

"OK." Victoire shouted wriggling to get down. She ran to Charlie and held up her arms so he could pick her up. She hugged him and kissed him, "I have to go to bed now so I can play with Teddy tomorrow. I'm going to grow up big and marry him."

"Good night then." Charlie laughed kissing her cheek. "I hope I get invited to the wedding."

"I'll think about it." Victoire told him with a giggle, wriggling to be put down again.

Charlie laughed and set her on her feet so she could run to Bill.

"Tuck me in daddy?"

"Sure." Bill smiled at her and carried her down the hall to her room.

"Drink Charlie?" Fleur offered, moving about the little kitchen.

"Please."

He watched the two, almost dancing around each other as they worked in the kitchen making tea ad setting out a couple plates of snacks.

Bill joined him at the table his eyes never leaving the two women.

"So where have you been hiding from Fleur the last couple days? And shouldn't you be back on the reserve Charlie?" Hermione asked sitting down at the table.

"We've been looking for you since you took off the other night." Bill huffed, "Not hiding."

Hermione shrugged biting back a smile, "Right." Fleur chuckled and sat down beside her. "Well, I spent the night out so, I needed a little space and I figured you might come to my apartment after me if George told you everything."

"Draco's apartment, we know." Charlie nodded.

"The note said you were going to visit an old friend." Bill promted.

Hermione nodded, "A friend of my mum's actually."

"So you've been here since last night?"

Hermione nodded with a frown, "Where else would I be?"

"Where else… where else…" Bill sputtered.

"You ran out Sunday dinner, this is the last place we thought we'd find you!" Charlie growled.

Hermione frowned at him, "I live here, generally if you are looking for someone home isn't the last place they might be."

"You were pretty clear you didn't want anything to do with me." Bill growled.

"I've been angry with you before." She retorted. "When have I ever taken that out on Fleur or Victoire?"

Bill opened his mouth and shut it again, he repeated this twice before sighing, "You've never been that hurt by me." He frowned, "Have you?"

Hermione shook her head, "No," with a soft sigh she met his eyes, "I should have told you about… Fred." His voice was a whisper and Fleurs hand gently took hers to squeeze in support. Hermione sent her a grateful smile.

"All this time I imagined it was Ron too." Charlie admitted.

"I told you it wasn't." Hermione growled at him, "Why would I lie? You know about every other guy I've been with."

Charlie shrugged, "He's my brother, I figured you didn't want to talk to me about my brother."

Hermione rolled her eyes, "Well I don't, it's just a different brother."

"I'm sorry I assumed it was Ronald." Bill apologized. "You, he and Harry have always shared a very special bond and I guess it always worried me."

"We do share a special bond Bill, we're family. I hated lying to them about you and Charlie. I hated lying to you and Charlie about you and Charlie."

"Well now we all know about all of it." Charlie sighed.

"The past is ze past." Fleur added with a glare at them, "It shouldn't matter who waz before, she is wiz us now."

"Are you?" Bill met Hermione's eyes, hope in his own.

"Did you really think I'd not thought it through enough before saying yes that one fight would make me not marry you?" She met his eyes and then sighed, "I don't like to talk about… it still hurts and I still love him but I'm not that girl anymore, his girl died in the war, I'm your woman, your wife."

"My woman." Charlie told her.

"My wife." Bill added.

Hermione frowned at them. "What?"

"We want you to be happy Hermione." Bill spoke up, "We both love you and want you and hopefully make you happy, in our ways."

"We do make you happy don't we Mia?"

"I…" Hermione looked from one brother to the other. "I…" she sucked in some air, "I think I need to go for a walk."

Hermione walked down the beach a ways but her head didn't clear, she sank into the sand to think. After a while she apparated away.

He was grumbling when he opened the door but seemed surprised when it was her at the door, "Mia." He smiled, "I thought you were Bill and Charlie, they've been looking everywhere for you."

"I've been at home with Fleur." She sighed, "Can I come in?"

"Sure." He motioned her in and then frowned. "You're sober."

"Sorry?"

"You aren't normally sober when you come."

She chuckled and shook her head but it was a dark sound rather than mirthful, "I'm sorry George." She sank onto his couch and leaned her head back to fight the coming tears, "I'm so sorry."

"Hey." George sat down next to her and picked up her hand. "You ok?"

"I loved him so much." She reminded him in a small voice.

"I know." George sighed.

"It scares me how much I love them."

"He'd want you to be happy Mia."

She nodded, "I've been so afraid George, so afraid to love anyone else, I just can't, I can't lose them."

"I know." He pulled her into his embrace.

Angelina came out of their room but when she saw who their guest was she sent George a small smile and disappeared silently back to the bedroom.

"They want to, Bill wants to marry me and Charlie wants our relationship back."

"I know."

"Openly George." She pulled back, "I think they were suggesting sharing me."

"Mum did actually."

"What?" Hermione screeched jumping up.

"They, she, we all want you to be happy Hermione. I'm just afraid that you haven't been. I know you love them but do they make you happy?"

Hermione sighed and sank back down, "Happy, yes. Content and serene, excited and alive."

"So what's wrong?"

"I don't know. Nothing." She sighed and leaned back closing her eyes, "That's what scares me."

"Life is short Hermione. We've learned that the hard way, losing to much to young. Just be happy. Nothing else matters. Live and laugh and love because that is what Fred wanted for us both. What your parents wanted for you and what those Death Eater bastards tried to take. We can't let them win, even a little bit. So just…. Be happy."

Hermione opened her eyes and met his with a small smile. She leaned into him and hugged him tightly, "Thank you for always taking care of me George."

"I sort of promised I would. I just, I wish I'd done a better job."

"You did everything right George, everything. I should have been there for you more."

"No." George shook his head, "You've done more than enough Mia. You listened. It was more than I should have asked, talking about him, to you, it was selfish but you were the only one I really could."

"It was a way for me to hold on to him too George, we both needed that then."

"Now we both need to move on."

"I know."

"Marry Bill, Love Charlie," He advised meeting her eyes and then giving a leer, "Love Fleur _and_ give me details." Hermione laughed and playfully smacked him.

They hugged goodbye and Hermione apparated home.


	14. Chapter 14

Charlie was on the couch and Hermione moved to sit next to him, "This is a little crazy." She whispered.

"I know but I love you, it might not be conventional but who cares if we're all happy?"

Hermione shook her head, "It doesn't really matter who cares. The people who love us will support us."

"Exactly." Charlie agreed. "Wait, does that mean you agree?"

Hermione sighed, "I need time to think Charlie."

"Ok."

"I'm going to bed."

"Goodnight." Charlie kissed her gently and Hermione smiled softly at him before slipping down the hall. Bill was just coming out of their room.

"Bill." She whispered.

He nodded to the door, "Fleur is going to bed, I'm going to sleep in the guest room."

She frowned at him, "Is everything alright?"

Bill nodded and sighed, "Why don't you two talk."

"ok."

"Mia?"

"Yes?"

"I love you."

"I love you too."

"I know." He sighed, "I mean, that, well, I love you, just as much as I love Fleur. I'd never love one of you more than the other, never want more for one of you and not try to give either of you everything."

"Bill?"

"I just wanted to be sure you knew. It's not Fleur my wife and Mia our lover, its not Fleur my first wife and you my second, you are both my lovers, both my wives, I love you both the same."

"We both love you too Bill." Hermione assured him.

He smiled at her and nodded, "Get some rest. We can all talk more tomorrow."

"OK." She nodded as he moved past her down the hall and let herself into their room. Quietly she undressed and slipped into bed next to her lover. "Fleur?" She whispered.

"He wants to share you." Fleur whispered, "HE wants our marriage to be less."

Hermione shook her head and pulled her closer, "He wants me to be happy. He'd do the same for you."

"So zen what? We alternate holidays like a muggle divorce?"

"We're all family Fleur, I don't think they meant it like that." Hermione tucked Fleur's hair behind her ear. "You know I'd never do anything to hurt you."

"I know." She sighed. "I don't know why I am jealous."

Hermione smirked at her and whispered, "Because Charlie is great in bed and your jealous I've had him and you haven't."

They both burst into giggles.

"Oui, perhaps I should have an affair wiz him."

Hermione nodded, "We can play musical lovers and Charlie can come meet you while Bill and I travel. I can be with him when you're with Bill and we can kick them both out for brother bonding while we have girl time with just each other."

"Oui." Fleur laughed.

After a moment their giggles subsided and they continued to whisper, "You know I'll stop seeing him if you want."

"I want you to be my wife Mia. It never bothered me to share you with a man outside our triad. I know your heart is mine, equally as theres."

"More." Hermione whispered snuggling closer to her, "I love you best. Just don't tell the boys."

"Non." Fleur whispered back, "It is our secret that I love you best too."

They chuckled and teased and talked for a while longer before falling asleep in each others arms.

They spent the next day on the beach together watching Victoire play in the surf, building sand castles.

"What if it were zat way?" Fleur asked Hermione as they made lunch.

"What way?"

"What you said last night, between the four of us."

"I was just teasing Fleur."

"Why not though? I would not be so lonely when you two travel and there would be no nonsense about alone time, we'd each have someone and never be alone."

"You want to sleep with Charlie?"

Fleur shrugged, "I ave always been attracted to him. I could fall in love wiz him, if I let myself, being wiz Bill I never let myself think of another man but last night I dream of things the way you say and today I look at Charlie wiz new eyez, why could we not all be a family?"

Hermione smiled at her, "We could." She agreed. "If Bill could handle it." She sighed, "I still can't believe he just suggested sharing me with Charlie." She frowned, "He's always so possessive with you."

"He forces himself not to be with you." Fleur tried to comfort her.

Hermione sighed, "Maybe. I just, I know we've not been, I guess I thought it would be different if we added marriage. Its not that it wasn't hard to recognize I needed to give up Charlie, I do love him, but we'll be married, he says I'll be his wife as much as you are but it doesn't feel like that. It's always been more like I am yours, like he desires me more than loves me whereas you just love me, completely."

"Perhaps he has just not thought this through." Fleur suggested gently, "Now it is just an idea, he has not considered what it will be but we will make him, make both of them consider all of it."

"How?"

"We suggest to zem ze same zing."

"You with Charlie."

Fleur shrugged, "If this is going to work between all of us, it should be between all of us or we should rethink what we want from each ozer, what we are to each ozer."

Hermione sighed, "So we suggest this and see where the chips fall."

"Oui." Fleur sighed gently and nodded before a delicate frown marred her brow, "Do you theenk Charlie is attracted to me?"

Hermione laughed, "He'd be deaf, dumb and blind not to be."

Fleur sent her that mysterious smile that made Hermione's breath catch, the one she'd given her before their first kiss. It had the same effect today and Charlie came upon them kissing, their hands gently exploring each others curves.

"Fuck." He hissed and then blushed when they turned to him. He adjusted his trousers as discretely as possible while Bill came into the kitchen carrying Victoire.

"Is lunch ready?" He asked his women looking confusedly between his brother and them.

"Almost." Hermione smiled at him moving to take Victoire. "Let's get washed up."

Charlie coughed, "I'm going for a swim."

"The water is very cold." Fleur warned him.

"Good." Charlie huffed under his breath hurrying out.

Bill followed his brother, "Catch them doing something interesting?" He laughed.

Charlie gulped, "You are a lucky bastard."

"You do share in that luck may I remind you."

"Yeah." Charlie nodded, "But I don't witness that." He motioned to the house.

Bill chuckled, "I don't just witness it."

Charlie cursed and adjusted his pants again.

"It doesn't fade if that helps."

"What?"

Bill laughed, "Why do you think I run so much? I might keep them both in bed permanently if I didn't. Every time they look at each other or touch, its…" His voice trailed off and Charlie gulped understanding perfectly.

Sitting down to lunch Charlie nearly choked when Fleur suggested they have sex.

"What?" He sputtered.

"Fleur?" Bill questioned with a deep frown.

"Fleur and I were talking and we think that the only way for a relationship between any of us to work on a permanent basis is for it to be between all of us." Hermione spoke up with a sip of tea.

"So you want…" Charlie tried to wrap his head around it, "What, for me to marry Hermione and wife swap?"

"Hermione's marrying us." Bill growled.

"I have no desire to be married." Charlie shot back.

"Non, this is not what we are talking about." Fleur broke through the tension. "I am talking about sharing a bonded relationship between all of us."

"I know you don't want to marry Charlie and neither of us is asking that but I am going to marry Fleur and Bill. If we want to make a relationship work, I think, that it should be equal between all four of us."

"Equal?" Charlie frowned. "Incest crosses my hard lines of anything resembling acceptable." Charlie told her making a face.

Hermione rolled her eyes at him, "I meant if my wife is going to be sharing me with you, I'll share her with you as well."

"Charlie and Fleur?" Bill frowned.

"Oui." Fleur nodded, "You et moi, Charlie et Mia, You et Mia, Charlie et moi."

"You two can do the brother bonding, man thing when Fleur and I need time together."

"No." Bill shook his head, his expression dark.

"So you're ok with me sleeping with him but not with your wife doing it?"

"You will be my wife too."

"You just don't care about monogamy with me."

"I didn't say that."

"You are the one that came home suggesting I keep sleeping with Charlie."

"I want you to be happy."

"You do not want ze same for me?" Fleur questioned.

"No." Bill hissed running his hand through his hair, "I didn't mean it like that. Of course I want you to be happy." He frowned at her, "I never realized I wasn't enough for you."

"Was I not enough for you? Is zat why you needed Mia?"

"You initiated that."

"You wanted her before I kissed her. You told me."

"Being attracted to her and contemplating an affair are two different things. I would never have crossed that line if you hadn't."

"Non, but you wanted to, just as I did. Does it mean because either of us wanted her zat we were not enough for each other, zat we don't love each other enough?"

"No!" Bill hissed.

"Zen why would it mean zat if I slept wiz Charlie? It does not mean Mia does not love us because she is his lover."

Bill growled and ran a hand through his hair, "I'm going for a run."

Charlie sat staring at the two witches in silence a moment.

"Do you not want to be wiz me?" Fleur asked him.

Charlie blanched, "You're beautiful Fleur."

"But?"

He licked his dry lips, the image of the two women kissing crossing his mind, "I think I'll join Bill on that run." He jumped up and bolted for the door.

Hermione sighed and turned to Fleur, "Bill wont be able to live with it."

"Perhaps, but zen what does it mean for us?"

"What would you have done if Charlie had said yes? Or Bill had been ok with it?"

"Charlie is a very attractive man." Fleur shrugged, "Perhaps in time I would love him as you do. I imagine if zey had accepted ze idea we'd all have had to zink and talk non? Ze only worry I have would be zat Bill tried to accept and couldn't, I never want to lose him or you."

Hermione sighed, "I know. I don't want to lose either of you either."

"You still love Charlie."

"Yes but I still can't believe they've suggested _this."_

Fleur laughed, "So now we have shocked zem back and zey will truly zink of what zey ask."

"What now?"

"Now mon amore, we go lay in ze sun."

Hermione laughed and waved her wand at the dishes clearing everything up while Fleur went to the playroom to get Victoire.


	15. Chapter 15

Hermione and Fleur lay in the sun watching Victoire play until the sun began to set. The little girl had been put to bed long before the two wizards returned. They were both drunk.

The two witches put Bill to bed in their room and then Charlie in the Guest room before flooing to Hermione's flat.

"So what now?" Hermione sighed sitting on the sofa with Fleur after pouring them both drinks.

"I don't know." Fleur whispered.

"He's not handling the idea well Fleur." Hermione's voice cracked.

"Non," She shook her head, tears in her eyes, "It does not mean he loves me more zan you."

"Doesn't it?" Hermione sniffled, "He can share me but not you?"

"He has shared you from ze beginning. He has forced himself to be ok wiz ze idea."

"Right."

"So what now?" She asked taking Hermione's hand.

"I don't know." Hermione whispered back.

"Zis will ruin all of us wont it?" Fleur asked quietly.

Hermione nodded slowly before licking her lips, "Yes." She swiped the tears from her eyes, "Yes, it will."

"You will turn zem both down." Fresh tears cascaded down her cheeks as Hermione nodded, reaching up to wipe them away.

"You know how much I love you."

"Zen do not leave me."

Hermione smiled through her own tears at her, "How?"

"You can not pick one of zem over ze ozer non?" Hermione nodded wiping away her tears again. "Zen don't."

"Fleur… I can't…" she licked her lips, "it hurts, being with him hurts, knowing he doesn't love me."

"He does, zey both do."

"Fleur."

"It is not ze same, I know."

"So what do we do?"

"We marry."

"Fleur?"

"Non, you are my wife Mia. If you cannot choose between zem, if being with zem hurts then do not be but do not leave me."

"How?"

"I will leave Beel." Fresh tears swam in her eyes and poured down her cheeks.

"Fleur, no!" Hermione pulled the witch into her arms.

Fleur hugged her back, "Not forever mon amour, he is my husband and ze father of my children but per'aps it is best for now. You need to 'eal, let me 'elp you."

Hermione thought about it and nodded slowly, "How?"

Fleur pulled back so their eyes met, "Vous et moi, we will go away to Paris togezer. Zen when we are ready and 'ealed we will come back, you always be my wife and Beel my 'usband, if you must share me wiz 'im and I you with anozer we will work it out zen but now, it is better, it must be just us."

Hermione licked her lips and nodded, "I love you so much.

"Oui, et je vous aime aussi."

"Are you sure?" Hermione whispered.

"If 'e needed me, I would do ze same for Beel, I love you both so much. I will be zere for eizer of you, always." Fleur hugged her tightly, "Go and sleep, in ze morning, we will go."

Hermione let her lover put her to bed with a kiss before she cried herself to sleep. Part of her didn't want to share Fleur with anyone but Bill either so she wasn't entirely upset that Bill didn't want to share his wife with Charlie. She never had to share either of them with anyone but each other and knew she wouldn't be able to contemplate sharing either of them, she loved them both so much but how could Bill love her the same and so easily share her with Charlie but the very idea of sharing Fleur was so impossible to him?

Fleur took up a quill and parchment writing her letters to her mother and husband before going home and picking up Victoire. The sun was just rising when she woke up her lover.

"It is time to go." She kissed Hermione awake.

Hermione groaned, "I'll be ready when he's back from his run."

Fleur chuckled, "No work, mon amour, we go to Paris."

Hermione stretched with a groan and then reality came crashing back, her eyes bursting open as she sat up, "We left him." Her eyes sought out Fleur's.

"Oui, you left zem both, now we and our girls will go to Paris, come, I 'ave sent a letter 'ome and my mother is meeting us in ze city to 'elp us find a flat."

Hermione nodded tears stinging her eyes, "I" Her breath caught.

"I know." Fleur comforted her. "Trust me to make everyzing ok in ze end." Hermione nodded and let the older witch take charge of her life. By the end of the day they were settled in a flat in Paris with a beautiful view.

Bill woke up to Charlie's shout in the kitchen.

"What?" He asked his brother rubbing his hand over his face.

"They left." Charlie growled.

"What?" Confused and still partly asleep Bill frowned at his brother. "Who?"

"Look." Charlie demanded shoving the letter at Bill.

Bill sniffed and frowned down at the letter taking a moment to focus and read.

_Mon Amour, I am so sorry we hurt you with what we asked. You know how much I love you. I think maybe you do not understand how much our Mia loves you. These years you refused to hold to tight for fear we would lose her, maybe in the start you were right to give her time and space, but I have told you, begged you, for more than a year now, we must hold tighter or risk her slipping through our fingers. I let you lead, let us be one with her, but we aren't, there is you and there is me and I will not lose her because I did not hold on out of your fear when I have none. I am not choosing one of you, I could never, I love you both the same, with all of me. She cannot choose between you boys but by not making her, you hurt her. You told her you loved her the same as me but she does not feel this, honestly, neither do I, I wonder if it is me you love more because you hold so tight or if it is her because you love her enough to restrain that possessive need and losen that grip enough to share her. I suppose it is something we all must consider. She needs me now so we are gone to Paris and when she has healed I will come home, I will always come home to you mon amour but I will always go home to her as well. As much as I wish it were different, I do not know she will always call you home the way I do. Please understand how much I love you and already miss you but I beg you, you and Charlie both, not to come after us. Let her heal mon amour. Let her go. The two of you only hurt her now. Maybe we only ever did. I hope I can help her but in the end if I must let her go as well, I will. I love her enough for this. I can only pray I do not have to, as I pray that in the end she will be ours fully. I will write to you again soon and my parents will bring Victoire for the weekends. Love your wife._

Bill read the letter three times before looking back to Charlie, "One minute they both want to sleep around with you and now they've both left me?"

Charlie shook his head, "Fuck if I understand it."

"Now what?"

"In the last two weeks I went from afraid I'd lost her for good to elated she was back to resigned to letting her go to determined to get her back to sharing her with you to sharing her and Fleur with you and back to despair I've lost her for good and most of those have been in last several days!" Charlie groaned, "Women are to fucking confusing. I have no idea what to do."

"So let's ask a woman."

"Which one?" Charlie hesitated.

Bill shrugged, "Mum?" Charlie just lifted an eyebrow. "One of the in-laws?"

"Prim Penelope?"

"Angelina."

"You know the person who knows our girl best…"

Bill nodded, "Will you think less of me if I say I'm a little scared about going to her."

"Not when I am too."

"She's the only one who knows our girl."

"So we go."

"Right."

"Yeah."

The brothers exchanged a look before apparating to the Potter house.


	16. Chapter 16

As luck would have it, neither was sure if it was entirely good or bad luck, their baby sister was home.

They sat her and Harry down, explained the last few days and handed over the note.

"So now you're both going to share them both?" Harry frowned as Ginny read the letter.

"Now they've both left them both." She corrected frowning at the brothers. "Which means you've left something out."

Both men shook their heads but it was Bill to speak, "They brought up the idea, I went for a run, Charlie followed, we talked and went home, in the morning they were gone."

"What did they say when you told them you agreed to share her?" Harry asked with a frown.

Ginny glared, "They didn't."

"What?"

"It was late, we were drunk." Bill defended.

"So you took off after lunch, came back shit faced and said nothing to either of them?"

"Exactly!" Ginny hissed jumping up and pacing, "How can you two much this up so much!"

"Can we back up here?" Harry frowned at his wife.

"You're the one who hid all the information Harry Potter, what could you possibly not be understanding?" Ginny shot him a look and his ears turned pink.

"You're brothers are talking about some fucked up incest quad marriage polygamy thing!"

"No incest!" Charlie growled, both men making a face.

Harry rolled his eyes at them, "This is so messed up!"

"Look, you were fine with me marrying her right?" Bill met his eyes.

"Yeah, marrying her, since she loved Fleur too, not sharing her with Charlie! Now you're saying you two are going to throw Fleur into the mix and share her as well! You two are messed up! No wonder they left!"

"They left because they wouldn't share not because they would." Ginny corrected him.

"We're the ones that told her we would."

"Until they put Fleur in the mix." Ginny corrected them again.

"No." Both men frowned shaking their heads, "We never said that."

"You never told them otherwise." She shot back.

"So?" Charlie frowned.

Bill quickly added, "We both came back, together, after working it out."

"Why would we both have come back if not to work it all out?"

"I love my wives, both of them, why would I give one something I wouldn't give the other?"

"I might not want my own family but that doesn't mean I wouldn't want to be part of one that accepted me for who I am, being with the girls… what bloke in his right mind would turn that down? I already love Fleur as my sister-in-law and I'd be deaf, dumb and blind not to have always wanted her in my bed, married to Bill or not.

"Did you even read this letter?" Ginny growled.

Both men looked at her incredulously, "Three times!" Bill growled.

"Twice." Charlie nodded.

Ginny shook her head and sighed, "You two are idiots." She told them rolling her eyes. "Read it again."

They just glared at her. Ginny shook her head and looked at the letter herself again scanning through the lines before reading a few out loud, _I am so sorry we hurt you with what we asked... You told her you loved her the same as me but she does not feel this, honestly, neither do I, I wonder if it is me you love more because you hold so tight or if it is her because you love her enough to restrain that possessive need and losen that grip enough to share her."_

"Wait." Harry held up his hands, "So they both think Bill loves the other more because they think he'll share Hermione but not Fleur?"

"Exactly." Ginny nodded at her husband.

"So instead of being jealous of each other they both left Bill?"

Ginny frowned at him this time, "In a way yes."

"In what way is that not right?"

"They left because they love each other as much as him."

"And Charlie?"

"Exactly."

"I don't get it."

Ginny glared at him with a sigh.

"Neither do I." Charlie admitted.

"Totally lost." Bill sighed.

Ginny huffed and rolled her eyes, and then spoke very slowly, "Last time she left you both, she left Fleur as well. This time, Fleur is not letting you two jackasses between the two of them. So she took Hermione away. Understand?" At their nod she continued, not letting any of them speak, "They both love you but they both think Bill loves the other of them more than them because neither of you thought to tell them it wasn't true."

"I've told Mia that a hundred times!" Bill protested.

"You share one but wont share the other, what message do you think that sends?" Ginny returned.

"If its what they both want I will." Bill growled.

"Do you think you might have wanted to tell them that!" Ginny exploded. "Honestly! Think! They have no idea you are ok with Charlie screwing Fleur!"

"I'm not!"

"You just said…"

"I'd share her like I did Mia. He's not fucking either of my wives!"

"How is that sharing?" Harry cut in.

"I haven't just been fucking Mia since the start and I'd never just fuck Fleur." Charlie glared at him.

Ginny rolled her eyes, "Fine, whatever, no one is fucking anyones wife or girl, you are sharing and open to sharing both women, as lovers, so maybe you should have said that to them."

Harry threw up his hands with an aggravated sigh, "What the hell?"

Ginny rolled her eyes, "Charlie isn't fucking Mia, he's in love with her and he wont just be fucking Fleur because he cares about her and maybe will love her too."

"So we're seriously talking about the two of them," he waved between the two men, "_sharing_ both women, Hermione _and_ Fleur?"

"Yes." Ginny huffed exasperatedly.

"So _both_ of them," he pointed at the two wizards again, "will be having _sex_ with _both_ witches."

"Can you wrap your mind around it later." Charlie growled at him.

"Tell us what to do Gin." Bill added his eyes boring into his sister.

"Did mum drop you two on your heads!" She rolled her eyes and hissed, "Go _after_ them."

"Fleur said not to." Charlie groaned waving at the letter.

"Don't be daft!" Ginny spat, "Get out, both of you, go now, get your arses to Paris and _fix _this, idiots!" She shot Harry a look as his mouth opened, " Quiet," then turned back to her brothers, "Go get your women before its to freaking late you morons!"

The wizards jumped up and apparated away immediately.

Ginny sighed and sank down, "Oh Harry, close your mouth and sit down."

"You just sent your brothers, _both_ of them, to shag Hermione! Don't you think those gits have hurt her enough!" Harry spun on his wife, anger crackling in the air, "I don't give a damn if they're your brothers! _She_ is my sister!"

"She's mine too!" Ginny jumped up, "Do you think I'd have sent them after her if I thought they'd hurt her!"

"They already did!"

"They didn't mean to!"

"To fucking bad!"

Ginny sucked in air trying to control her temper, they both couldn't lose it, "They'll make her happy Harry." Harry glared at her. "I promise. They love her."

"You really think all four of them together would work?" He demanded, still angry.

Ginny smiled softly at him and nodded, "This isn't the world you grew up in Harry, the muggle rules don't apply to us." She shook her head, "I know you don't understand, and I know you want what's best for her, you want to protect her."

Harry sighed and nodded, "What's wrong with that?"

"Nothing." Ginny moved closer to her husband, urging him to sit before sitting next to him, "Don't you think if she wanted to be protected from this, she'd have come to us? That she would have told us about it a long time ago?"

Harry tilted his head back and closed his eyes, "Maybe, but want it or not she needed to be."

"Love is hard and sometimes painful Harry but it's worth it, just look at us."

"Us?"

"You don't think my brothers wanted to protect me from you? Or would have if they knew at the time just how much I was hurting over it all."

"I'm sorry Gin. I didn't see you for a lot of years and I regret that."

Ginny shook her head, "We weren't ready to love each other back then Harry, we were just kids. I meant when you broke my heart, I know you thought to protect me by breaking up with me but it still hurt. We didn't see things from each others perspectives then, didn't really understand where each other was then or how we felt let alone how the other felt. That's where they are now and they'll work it out, just like we did, together."

"Together." Harry repeated making a face.

"Just" Ginny sighed, "accept it. You don't have to like it but she'll need you to be supportive of this Harry. Merlin knows Ron won't be."

Harry sighed, "I'll support her, you know that but Merlin help them if they hurt her again."

Ginny nodded, "Just let them work this out and they wont." Harry nodded and sighed leaning his head back again and closing his eyes. "Andromeda has the boys for another hour."

At her words Harry felt a smile tug at his mouth, he didn't open his eyes as he replied, "Whatever shall we do with the time?"

Ginny laughed, "Nap?"

Harry growled and with lightening fast movements, plucked her up from beside him, pulling her into his lap while she giggled. He smirked at her and then cut off the sound of her giggles with a heated kiss.


	17. Chapter 17

Hermione and Fleur got up early the next day and took Victoire to breakfast and then walked around the beautiful city. Both women ignoring the painful subject of anything Weasley. It wasn't working well and as they watched Victoire feeding the birds, Hermione sighed.

"Mia?" Fleur took her lovers hand.

"I already miss them."

"I know."

"Do you suppose running away again was the wrong way to handle this?"

"What other way is there mon amour?"

Hermione sighed again and shook her head as tears stung her eyes, "Accept what they offer."

"Always you will wonder if Bill does not love you and always I will wonder if he does not love me."

"You?" Hermione gasped.

"Bill loves you enough to let you go mon amour, even to give you what you need in Charlie, he does not love me the same." Fleur smiled sadly at her, "I cannot chose between you, I cannot fathom losing either of you, sharing you was easy because I love you both so much."

"What about Charlie?" Hermione frowned at her, "We never asked you what you felt about sharing me, not just now but, ever."

"I did not like it." Fleur admitted looking away, "I listened to Bill, he thought it was important to give you wings, that you were like a bird, he said holding you to tightly would kill you, to lose and you would fly away."

"Meaning?"

"If we held you to tightly we suffocate you in our love, our need for you. If we held to lose you would not see how we loved you and would leave us."

"Fleur." Hermione sighed her name.

"It was better for me." She admitted in a small voice.

"What?" Hermione frowned at her.

"When you told us about Charlie. It was harder for Bill but so much easier for me. Even afraid as I was that I might lose you."

"Why?"

Fleur met her eyes again, "Because you love him. It wasn't that you might not love us, love me, the way I love you, it was just, you loved him too, like I love Bill, like we both do."

"I'm sorry I hurt you Fleur."

The two women held hands in comfort, "I'm sorry too, I should have separated my love for you from what we share with Bill a long time ago. I should have made you understand, it isn't that I shared Bill with you, you and I aren't a side of what we both share with him. I love you as much as I love him, it was always a triad Mia, in my heart, all parts are equal."

"Mine too." Hermione squeezed her hand and then sighed, "It's just, Charlie is in there too."

"I would easily have made room for him in mine Mia. Charlie has always been special to me, he and Bill are more than brothers, they're best friends, and I love him. It would be so easy to let that love grow."

"Now what?"

Fleur shrugged, "Now we try to heal, we forget what might have been and accept what is."

"I've lost them both haven't I?"

Fleur shook her head, "They both still love you Mia."

"It's over though, us, my relationships."

"Not with me." Fleur insisted, "We'll make it work. Love is worth the struggle to make it work."

Hermione nodded in agreement, "I miss them."

"I know. Zat is why we are here though mon amour, so that you can heal."

"Bill does love you Fleur."

"Yes." She nodded, "And I will get over the hurt because even if he did love you more, how can I blame him, I love you too, I love you as much as I love him."

Hermione nodded and the two women turned their attention back to Victoire, "What about Rose?"

"Rose Weasley." Fleur nodded. "Or Dominique?"

"I like it." Hermione nodded. "What about if he gets his boy?"

"Louis?"

Hermione grinned and nodded, "Louis Weasley. It's perfect."

They talked more about the baby until Victoire got tired.

"Let's go back to the flat for lunch." Fleur suggested handing the little girl some juice. "Or would you like to eat at Le Café Vin Rouge?

"Oui ma mere." Victoire nodded taking Hermione's hand.

As they walked towards wizarding Paris, they did some window shopping, in the café connecting muggle and wizarding Paris the two women found a table but Victoire pulled away from Hermione.

"Victoire?" Hermione questioned.

"Victoire." Fleur called after her daughter with a frown as she walked up to an occupied booth.

"Daddy!" The little girl yelled.

The two witches looked at each other and headed around the divide over to the booth section as the little girl disappeared into the silenced booth.

"Bill?" Hermione and Fleur both exclaimed, "Charlie?"

"Mummy, Mimi, daddy's here!" Victoire bounced and focused on her dad, "I fed the ducks!" She exclaimed happily. "Mummy and Mimi had coffee and I fed them by myself like a big girl!"

"Wonderful!" Bill grinned at her. "I brought you a present."

"You did!" Victoire bounced again. "Is it Teddy? I saw Teddy come this way!"

Bill laughed, "It is Teddy. He and Andromeda came to take you some place special while daddy and Uncle Charlie talk to mummy and Mimi."

"Ok." Victoire hugged him and kissed his cheek, "You talk to mummy and Mimi, I'm go to find Teddy cause when I grow up big I'm going to marry him."

Bill laughed and kissed his daughters cheek, "They are just one booth over." He shook his head after her as she scrambled back off the bench seat and hurried to the next booth before shyly kicking the floor and staring at her feet.

"Want some of my desert?" They heard Teddy ask as he stepped out of the booth and helped her up.

"I haven't had lunch yet." Victoire told him quietly.

"Me neither." He laughed, "Grandma let me have chocolate crepes for lunch!"

"Can I…" Their voices disappeared as they climbed into the booth.

The two women turned back to the brothers.

"What are you doing here?" Hermione finally asked.

"Looking for you." Charlie shrugged.

"Pourquoi?" Fleur frowned at Bill, "I ask you to give us time, non?"

"I'm done giving Mia time, or space for that matter." Bill told her before turning to the other woman. "I love you damn it, stop running from me and talk to me."

"What is there to say Bill?"

"I can think of a thing or two." Charlie growled, "Even just goodbye would be helpful on occasion."

Hermione rolled her eyes at him, "Goodbye Charlie."

He gaped at her a second and then slammed his mouth closed with a dark frown.

Fleur put her hand on Hermione's arm, "Do not be angry wiz him over Beel."

Hermione sucked in a breath but instead of a retort she just sighed, "You're right, I'm sorry. I'm not even mad."

"Sit, please, this conversation would be better in private." Bill motioned to the table.

Hermione rolled her eyes and sat next to him, Fleur shrugged and sat next to Charlie, before they both turned their attention back to the men, the silencing spell automatically reactivating as the presence of someone at the end of the table disappeared.

"Charlie and I should have talked to you when we got home the other night."

"We were just a little drunk." Charlie shrugged.

"Clearly we crossed your comfort zone with the suggestion you might share a woman." Hermione responded dryly.

Bill held up his hands, "In our defense we might not have handled the immediate suggestion smoothly but neither of us said it was a _bad_ idea or that we _wouldn't_ do it."

Both women just glared at him.

Charlie chuckled shaking his head, "What the hell am I getting myself into."

"Want to change your mind?" Bill asked him, his attention completely on his brother.

"Oddly," Charlie met his eyes and then grinned, "Not even a little."

"Great." Bill nodded, "So you want to tell them?"

Charlie looked from one witch to the other and then nodded, pulling a box out of his pocket at the same time Bill took out his wand.

"Mia."

"Charlie?" She looked from the velvet box to him.

"Marry me?"

"Non." Fleur gasped.

"Yes." Bill nodded tapping the box with his wand so it multiplied into another two rings. "And me."

"And Fleur." Charlie added tapping a box with his own want.

"You want me to marry both of you?" Hermione frowned at them.

"I want you to say you'll still marry Fleur and I." Bill explained softly.

"I want you to marry me as well." Charlie added. "Both of you."

"Both of us?" Fleur was frowning at them as well.

"Are you two spelled?" Hermione frowned at them, pulling out her wand and completing a reversal spell.

Both wizards laughed and shook their heads.

"We came back drunk because we sat talking about what you had said, and then about where we were going and what we both wanted."

"We both needed a little liquid help."

"You left before we could explain that we agreed."

"It would only work between us if it was between all of us."

"You don't want to get married Charlie." Hermione reminded him.

"I don't want that life Mia, the husband role that demands I change everything about myself but you've never asked me to do that and Fleur has never asked either of you to either. I want to be part of a family though, being with you has shown me I wanted that connection with someone, I just didn't realize it before. This can work, the four of us together, we can each give as much of ourselves as we can without asking any of us to give up who we are."

"Charlie will still raise dragons, I'll still break curses with Mia and Fleur will raise babies."

"This is insane." Hermione shook her head.

"Oui." Fleur agreed, "Zis will never work."

"Why?" Both wizards demanded.

The two witches looked at each other and then back at them.

"It just," Mia started.

"Wont." Fleur finished.

"Do you love me Mia?" Charlie caught her hand.

"Yes, but…"

"And do you love me?"

"Yes, but…"

"Is it you?" Charlie turned to Fleur, "Do you not think you could love me?"

"Do love you Charlie but…"

"It's not cheating anymore than me being with Mia is."

"Oui, but…"

"We're both possessive and jealous but we can learn not to be with each other, hell we've already proven we can be ok with it over the last two years by sharing Mia."

"The only problem either of us had was the fear of losing her."

"Which wont be an issue once we're all married."

"There might be some adjustment."

"Time is the only thing to work out all the details."

"All of which aren't important."

"The only thing that is, is how much we love each other."

"How much we all want to be a family."

"So there are no buts really."

"No reason not to jump right in and make it work."

"Since it's what we all want."

"Since we're all miserable apart."

"Haven't these last months proved it?"

They sat in silence for several minutes just looking at each other.

"This is crazy." Hermione sighed.

"Oui." Fleur nodded, "But zey have a point."

"In theory." Hermione hedged.

"No reason not to try though." Charlie pressed.

"Lots of reasons against not trying. Bill added.

"Marriage is a bit more than testing the waters." Hermione nodded at the rings.

"So we hold off the wedding until we're all ready." Charlie shrugged.

"The point is, we are both all in." Bill added.

"We want you both to be as well." Charlie flicked his wand and the boxes opened to reveal four identical rings. Instead of the three entwined rings this one had four, one was black zirconium and another platinum, they ran parallel to each other never touching, the other two bands, one yellow gold and the other pink gold, were slightly smaller and instead of running parallel they crossed over and twined around the other bands, connecting the four of them together.

"Per'aps we give zis some time." Fleur whispered, one delicate finger caressing the ring.

Hermione just nodded, swallowing against a suddenly very dry throat.

"To think about or to try?"

"Try." Hermione whispered.

"I was hoping you'd say that." Charlie winked at her and wrapped an arm around Fleur's shoulders.

"We've arranged a vacation." Bill grinned leaning back and pulling Hermione against his chest.

"Tonight, you come with me." Charlie winked at Fleur.

"I get you to myself." Bill growled in Hermione's ear.

"Tomorrow…" Charlie started.

"We all head to Crete…" Bill added.

"For a week." Charlie finished.

"Victiore is going to stay with Harry and Gin." Bill cut off what Fleur had been about to say.

"So?" Charlie looked from one witch to another.

Hermione flicked her hand and a chain appeared around the ring facing her, pulling it up and clasping it around her neck, "Ok." She nodded as Fleur copied the spell.

Both men nodded and took the rings from the two remaining boxes, slipping them on their right hands.

"Shall we then?" Bill motioned to Hermione to get up from the booth.

"We haven't eaten." Hermione frowned at him.

Bill winked at her, "I have plans for you."

Hermione blushed and got up from the table. Fleur stood as well and the two witches embraced.

"Je t'aime." Hermione whispered.

"Je t'aime aussi." Fleur answered before kissing her softly.

The wizards led them in opposite directions.

"You ok Bill?"

"It's no easier or harder than it is with you." He shrugged and then sighed running a hand through his hair and pulled her to a stop. "I'm sorry I ever made you doubt that, either of you. Believe me, letting you go was never easy Mia, it's not easy with her either but Charlie and I talked a long time about all of this, then you left, both of you and we realized we needed to speed up our plans and show you we were serious about trying this between all of us because we knew it could never be casual for any of us, between any of us, not if we really wanted it to work."

"So you want to share wives with your brother."

"I want to be married to the two witches I love, I want both of those witches to be happy and I want my brother to have the life and family he wants with the witches he loves and yes I do think with even the tiniest hit to that wall of Fleur being my wife and the two of them will fall in love."

"If they don't? Or if you can't handle sharing? Or he can't?"

"We'll work that out if it happens. Right now we all deserve to give it a fair chance."

"You know he's probably seducing her right now."

Bill shook his head, "More likely she's seducing him."

"You're ok with that?"

"In theory." Bill nodded.

"What theory? It's happening. Right now. You gave them permission!"

"Yes." Bill nodded "but none of us will know until we're all four around each other and he kisses her or you, or I do and we witness it."

"So what now?"

"We take it one day at a time." He told her gently, pulling her into his arms and apparating them away.


End file.
